2018–19 Houston Rockets season The 2018–19 Houston Rockets season was the 52nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and their 48th in the Houston area. Despite early struggles in the season including an on-court altercation between rival guards Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, injuries among its core players, and losing core players including Trevor Ariza, the team made a dramatic improvement and finished as the 4th seed in the West. Most notable within the surge would be Harden's impressive play. It included his 30-point streak which started on December 11, all the way to a surprising 32 games until ending on February 25. This streak had left him 2nd for continuous 30+ points in a game, leaving Wilt Chamberlain as 1st. On March 24, against the Pelicans, they had clinched another playoff spot for the 7th straight year. In the playoffs, the Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz in the First Round in five games. However, the Rockets would lose in six games against the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals, their fourth playoff exit against the Warriors in the last five postseasons. They previously lost to the Warriors in 2015 (conference finals), 2016 (first round), and 2018 (conference finals). Draft picks Entering the night of the draft, the Rockets had only one selection at hand, with it being the pick they acquired from the Miami Heat via a previous trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets, being the lowest second round pick of those teams. On the night of the draft, the Rockets selected former University of Southern California guard De'Anthony Melton as their sole selection that year. Melton only played one season at USC, playing that previous season as a starter in 25 out of 36 games played there, recording averages of 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game that season. He was originally planned to play in his sophomore season, but was suspended and later left in relation to the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal. Prior to the start of the season, Melton was traded alongside veteran power forward Ryan Anderson to the Phoenix Suns on August 31, 2018, in exchange for veteran point guard Brandon Knight and power forward Marquese Chriss. Roster <noinclude> Standings Division Conference Game log Preseason |- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | October 2 | @ Memphis | | Chris Paul (22) | Green, Capela (6) | Chris Paul (9) | Legacy Arena16,888 | 1–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | October 4 | Indiana | | James Harden (17) | James Ennis III (6) | James Harden (10) | Toyota Center17,089 | 1–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | October 7 | @ San Antonio | | James Harden (21) | Chris Paul (8) | Paul, Harden (9) | AT&T Center18,326 | 2–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | October 9 | Shanghai Sharks | | James Harden (37) | Bruno Caboclo (7) | Paul, Harden (9) | Toyota Center16,317 | 3–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | October 12 | @ Memphis | | James Harden (23) | Clint Capela (13) | Chris Paul (11) | FedEx Forum12,576 | 4–1 Regular season |- style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | October 17 | New Orleans | | Eric Gordon (21) | James Harden (9) | James Harden (10) | Toyota Center18,055 | 0–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | October 20 | @ LA Lakers | | James Harden (36) | Clint Capela (12) | Chris Paul (10) | Staples Center18,997 | 1–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | October 21 |