The 1973-74 Houston Rockets season marked a significant period for the franchise as they continued to establish themselves in the NBA. This was their third season since relocating from San Diego to Houston. Under the guidance of head coach Tex Winter, the Rockets aimed to improve their performance from previous years.
During this season, the Rockets played their home games at the Hofheinz Pavilion and competed in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. They finished the regular season with a record of 32 wins and 50 losses. This placed them fifth in their division and did not qualify them for the playoffs, marking a setback in their quest for postseason success.
Key players during the 1973-74 season included Rudy Tomjanovich, who was a standout performer and led the team in scoring, and Calvin Murphy, known for his agility and scoring ability. The team faced challenges in maintaining consistency and struggled defensively, which was reflected in their overall record.
Despite the disappointing season, the Rockets showed potential with young talents and the leadership of established players. The franchise used this season as a building block, learning valuable lessons to improve in subsequent years. The 1973-74 season was part of the early developmental phases of the Rockets as they worked towards becoming a competitive force in the NBA.
- Regular Season Record: 32-50
- Playoff Result: Did not make playoffs
Houston Rockets Roster and Stats for 1973-74 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Rudy Tomjanovich | 80 | 24.5 | 8.6 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Calvin Murphy | 81 | 20.4 | 2.1 | 7.0 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Mike Newlin | 76 | 18.4 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Zaid Abdul-Aziz | 79 | 10.9 | 11.2 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Jack Marin | 47 | 10.7 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Cliff Meely | 77 | 9.7 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Ed Ratleff | 81 | 7.5 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Dave Wohl | 26 | 6.0 | 0.6 | 4.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Matt Guokas | 39 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Otto Moore | 13 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | |||||||
| E.C. Coleman | 58 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Kevin Kunnert | 25 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Jimmy Walker | 3 | 4.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Ron Riley | 36 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| George Johnson | 27 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Stan McKenzie | 11 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Paul McCracken | 4 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
Houston Rockets 1973-74 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1973-74 season for the Houston Rockets.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 09, 1973 | @ Buffalo Braves | L 107-105 | |
| Oct 10, 1973 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 104-88 | |
| Oct 12, 1973 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 106-99 | |
| Oct 13, 1973 | @ New York Knicks | W 86-85 | |
| Oct 16, 1973 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 106-101 | |
| Oct 20, 1973 | vs. Detroit Pistons | L 107-104 | |
| Oct 23, 1973 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 107-98 | |
| Oct 24, 1973 | @ Boston Celtics | W 132-117 | |
| Oct 26, 1973 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 121-113 | |
| Oct 27, 1973 | vs. Chicago Bulls | L 102-92 | |
| Oct 31, 1973 | vs. New York Knicks | L 102-91 | |
| Nov 02, 1973 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | L 125-123 | |
| Nov 04, 1973 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 106-93 | |
| Nov 07, 1973 | vs. Capital Bullets | L 111-97 | |
| Nov 09, 1973 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 111-106 | |
| Nov 13, 1973 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 97-83 | |
| Nov 14, 1973 | @ Kansas City-Omaha Kings | L 118-116 | |
| Nov 17, 1973 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | L 96-87 | |
| Nov 22, 1973 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | L 104-96 | |
| Nov 23, 1973 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | L 85-83 | |
| Nov 27, 1973 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 125-111 | |
| Nov 28, 1973 | @ New York Knicks | W 114-106 | |
| Nov 30, 1973 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 110-95 | |
| Dec 01, 1973 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 108-106 | |
| Dec 02, 1973 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 130-104 | |
| Dec 04, 1973 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 124-109 | |
| Dec 05, 1973 | vs. Capital Bullets | W 119-99 | |
| Dec 09, 1973 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 110-107 | |
| Dec 11, 1973 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 114-107 | |
| Dec 14, 1973 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 114-106 | |
| Dec 15, 1973 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 104-100 | |
| Dec 17, 1973 | vs. New York Knicks | L 109-97 | |
| Dec 19, 1973 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | L 124-118 | |
| Dec 21, 1973 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | L 124-110 | |
| Dec 22, 1973 | @ Capital Bullets | L 98-89 | |
| Dec 23, 1973 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 99-91 | |
| Dec 26, 1973 | vs. Kansas City-Omaha Kings | W 110-95 | |
| Dec 28, 1973 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 127-111 | |
| Dec 29, 1973 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 114-110 | |
| Jan 02, 1974 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 101-99 | |
| Jan 04, 1974 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 119-113 | |
| Jan 05, 1974 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 108-106 | |
| Jan 06, 1974 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 91-90 | |
| Jan 08, 1974 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 104-92 | |
| Jan 09, 1974 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 105-101 | |
| Jan 11, 1974 | @ Buffalo Braves | L 117-99 | |
| Jan 13, 1974 | @ Buffalo Braves | W 121-112 | |
| Jan 18, 1974 | vs. New York Knicks | W 96-90 | |
| Jan 20, 1974 | @ Capital Bullets | L 111-105 | |
| Jan 22, 1974 | @ New York Knicks | W 108-93 | |
| Jan 23, 1974 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 115-104 | |
| Jan 25, 1974 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 93-89 | |
| Jan 27, 1974 | vs. Buffalo Braves | L 122-108 | |
| Jan 29, 1974 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | L 115-107 | |
| Jan 31, 1974 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 109-108 | |
| Feb 02, 1974 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 117-107 | |
| Feb 03, 1974 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 123-112 | |
| Feb 05, 1974 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 116-112 | |
| Feb 08, 1974 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 120-106 | |
| Feb 10, 1974 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 112-106 | |
| Feb 12, 1974 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 129-119 | |
| Feb 14, 1974 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 107-99 | |
| Feb 17, 1974 | vs. Buffalo Braves | L 135-118 | |
| Feb 20, 1974 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 115-98 | |
| Feb 22, 1974 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 122-113 | |
| Feb 24, 1974 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 133-115 | |
| Feb 26, 1974 | vs. Kansas City-Omaha Kings | W 118-101 | |
| Mar 01, 1974 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 117-111 | |
| Mar 02, 1974 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 129-122 | |
| Mar 03, 1974 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 112-106 | |
| Mar 06, 1974 | vs. Chicago Bulls | L 105-93 | |
| Mar 08, 1974 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 113-106 | |
| Mar 10, 1974 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 113-108 | |
| Mar 13, 1974 | vs. Capital Bullets | W 117-93 | |
| Mar 15, 1974 | vs. Capital Bullets | W 114-105 | |
| Mar 17, 1974 | @ Kansas City-Omaha Kings | L 125-114 | |
| Mar 19, 1974 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 110-107 | |
| Mar 20, 1974 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 103-99 | |
| Mar 22, 1974 | @ Capital Bullets | L 109-95 | |
| Mar 23, 1974 | @ Boston Celtics | L 108-105 | |
| Mar 24, 1974 | @ Boston Celtics | L 109-106 | |
| Mar 26, 1974 | vs. Buffalo Braves | W 119-96 |