Houston Rockets Game 22 of 2015-16 Season – vs Brooklyn Nets

Houston Rockets Game 22 of 2015-16  found H-Town underestimating the Brooklyn Nets a second time and losing the season series.

Continuing SCS series of all 82 games from last season next up is the Houston Rockets Game 22 of 2015-16 versus the Brooklyn Nets.

Dec 8, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack (2) shoots as Houston Rockets guard Ty Lawson (3) reaches for the ball during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Brooklyn Nets won 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets added draft picks and signed free agents to improve upon an especially mediocre 41-41 campaign. Big man Dwight Howard left for Atlanta while free agents Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Nene Hilario and Pablo Prigioni joined Houston in free agency.

Hopes are these additions and the growth of existing assets will translate into a season similar to 2014-15. While fans wait for opening night on October 26th versus the Lakers hopefully this series will appease your cravings.

To that end, this series showcases the Rockets 82 games noting the pregame analysis, post game grades, and relevant video. Furthermore, SCS will highlight significant changes made by their opponents this summer. So, here it is – – enjoy all 82 posts as SCS takes you back over the 2015-16 season.

Game 22 – Brooklyn Nets

With a 2-game win streak on the line the Houston Rockets entered the night looking to make it 3 in a row.

Pregame Analysis:

Dec 8, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) reacts to an apparent injury during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Having already lost to the Nets by under estimating them once this second loss by the Rockets was unacceptable. This game perhaps more than any other demonstrated just how unstable the team chemistry was.

In the pregame analysis article it was noted how vital this game was to establishing some sort of constancy on the Rockets.

The last time these two ball clubs met both teams were trending in different directions while also coming off three days of rest. The Brooklyn Nets were still searching for their first win of the season while the Houston Rockets were winners of four straight. Whether it was rust or the Rockets completely over looking the Nets, Brooklyn walked out of Toyota Center that night with a win completely stunning the Houston crowd.

This time around the Rockets will be visiting the Barclays Center looking to extend their winning streak to four. While the  Nets  record  is one of the worst in the league (5-15) their past month  demonstrates  they’re  capacity  to raise the bar facing tough opponents. Specifically  Brooklyn has notable wins against quality teams such as Atlanta, Boston, Detroit and Phoenix.  While losing to the Cavaliers by two points and taking the Golden State Warriors to overtime in Oakland.

Anthony Nguyen’s full pre game analysis is available via this link.

Post Game Analysis:

In my SCS post game review the area which stood out was the Rockets turnovers:

It’s one thing when your opponent beats you but it’s quite another when you beat yourself. The Houston Rockets continue to make their own lives more difficult by coughing up the ball.

Last night the Rockets turned over the ball 24 times resulting in 22 points for the Nets.  Ironically the Nets turned the ball over an equal amount of times which resulted in one additional point for Houston. One might consider this a wash given both teams were sloppy, but for the Rockets it speaks to how they have issues getting an offensive flow going.

In  fact looking at who is at the center of the turnovers James Harden again was one of the main culprits with 7 turnovers. Most of the players contributed to the turn over issues, but if Harden is going to insist on being the main ball handler he needs to be more responsible with keeping a better handle on the ball.

The SCS full write-up can be viewed via this link.

Stat Leaders:

While the Rockets stars let them down in this game it was their bench who raised their games as Coty Davis pointed out in his post game player grade review:

For the Nets big man Brook Lopez was especially relevant as he controlled Dwight Howard to give Brooklyn the edge on the night:

Coty Davis full article can be viewed via this link.

The full NBA.com box score can be viewed via this link.

Rockets Games vs Nets in 2016-17

• December 12th at home
• January 15th at Barclays Center

Draft Picks and Free Agents

New Nets General Manager Sean Marks has made some bold and aggressive moves in his first summer with Brooklyn. Given the little traction he has with draft picks he definitely is trying to be bold by taking some risks.  Three former Raptors (Vasquez, Scola and Bennett) have all been added which perhaps speaks to Marks belief in Masai Ujiri’s prowess at his position.

Draft Picks:

Round 1: Caris LeVert (20)

Round 2: Isaiah Whitehead (42)

Incoming Free Agents/trade:

• Jeremy Lin 3-years, $36M exits Hornets
• Trevor Booker 2-years $18.5M exits Jazz
• Justin Hamilton 2-years, $6M exits Wolves
• Greivis Vasquez 1-year deal (no financials disclosed yet) exits Bucks
• Luis Scola 1-year minimum deal
• Anthony Bennett  2-year veteran minimum deal
• Randy Foye who leaves OKC on a reported 1-year deal
• Joe Harris who exits Cleveland on a 2-year deal

Exiting Free Agents/traded: 

• Sergey Karasev signed in Russia
• Thaddeus Young (traded to Pacers)
• Wayne Ellington to 2-years, $12M exits to Heat
• Willie Reed to 2-year deal exits to Heat

More Free Agent News

Next: Updated Free Agency Report

Next: Free Agency Profiles for all 30 Teams

Due to the large Houston Rockets fan base, SCS is always looking to add new talent to our writing team. To that end, we’re looking for individuals with a specialized focus.  Specifically, the first area  is perfect for someone who constantly surfs for breaking news on injuries, trades, insider info. Consequently this individual would select top news items providing timely quick hits to keep SCS readers in the loop.

The other writer would possess an especially strong social media background and would like to interact with Clutch City Fans. Therefore this person will promote SCS team content on facebook and twitter. As a result the successful candidate will  make sure to promote the best content coming from H-Town fans. In conclusion, if you’re a budding writer who possesses these qualities vist the SCS link, and fill out an application.