The 2009-10 Houston Rockets season was marked by significant challenges and transitions. The team finished with a 42-40 record, placing them 9th in the Western Conference, which was not sufficient to secure a playoff spot. This was a notable drop from the previous season’s performance, where they reached the Western Conference semifinals.
A major storyline for the Rockets was the absence of star center Yao Ming, who missed the entire season due to a foot injury sustained during the 2009 playoffs. This left a considerable gap in their lineup, forcing the team to rely on other players to fill the void. The Rockets acquired Trevor Ariza in the offseason, hoping he could provide some offensive and defensive contributions.
Throughout the season, the team was led by Aaron Brooks, who emerged as a key player, averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 assists per game. Brooks’ performance earned him the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. Luis Scola also played a crucial role, averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, providing stability in the frontcourt.
Despite their efforts, the Rockets struggled with consistency and depth issues without Yao Ming. The team made a mid-season trade, acquiring Kevin Martin from the Sacramento Kings, which added a scoring punch, but it wasn’t enough to push them into the playoffs. The season was a rebuilding phase for Houston, setting the stage for future adjustments and planning around Yao Ming’s potential return.
- Regular Season Record: 42-40
- Playoff Result: Did not make playoffs
Houston Rockets Roster and Stats for 2009-10 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Kevin Martin | 24 | 21.3 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 31.0 | |||||||
| Aaron Brooks | 82 | 19.6 | 2.6 | 5.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 39.8 | |||||||
| Luis Scola | 82 | 16.2 | 8.6 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 20.0 | |||||||
| Carl Landry | 52 | 16.1 | 5.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Trevor Ariza | 72 | 14.9 | 5.6 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 33.4 | |||||||
| Kyle Lowry | 68 | 9.1 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 27.2 | |||||||
| Chase Budinger | 74 | 8.9 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 36.9 | |||||||
| Shane Battier | 67 | 8.0 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 36.2 | |||||||
| Jordan Hill | 23 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | |||||||
| David Andersen | 63 | 5.8 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 34.6 | |||||||
| Garrett Temple | 9 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 25.0 | |||||||
| Jared Jeffries | 18 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 11.1 | |||||||
| Chuck Hayes | 82 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Jermaine Taylor | 31 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 22.7 | |||||||
| Tracy McGrady | 6 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 50.0 | |||||||
| Mike Harris | 8 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Joey Dorsey | 7 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Brian Cook | 15 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 22.2 | |||||||
| Pops Mensah-Bonsu | 4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Will Conroy | 5 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Hilton Armstrong | 9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
Houston Rockets 2009-10 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 2009-10 season for the Houston Rockets.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27, 2009 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 96-87 | |
| Oct 28, 2009 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 108-107 | |
| Oct 31, 2009 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 111-107 | |
| Nov 02, 2009 | @ Utah Jazz | W 113-96 | |
| Nov 04, 2009 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 103-102 | |
| Nov 06, 2009 | vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | W 105-94 | |
| Nov 10, 2009 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 121-103 | |
| Nov 11, 2009 | vs. Memphis Grizzlies | W 104-79 | |
| Nov 13, 2009 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 109-100 | |
| Nov 15, 2009 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 101-91 | |
| Nov 17, 2009 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 111-105 | |
| Nov 18, 2009 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 97-84 | |
| Nov 20, 2009 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 105-103 | |
| Nov 21, 2009 | vs. Sacramento Kings | W 113-106 | |
| Nov 25, 2009 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | L 130-99 | |
| Nov 27, 2009 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | L 92-84 | |
| Nov 29, 2009 | @ Oklahoma City Thunder | W 100-91 | |
| Dec 02, 2009 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 102-85 | |
| Dec 03, 2009 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 111-109 | |
| Dec 05, 2009 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 90-89 | |
| Dec 09, 2009 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 95-85 | |
| Dec 11, 2009 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 96-91 | |
| Dec 13, 2009 | @ Toronto Raptors | L 101-88 | |
| Dec 15, 2009 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 107-96 | |
| Dec 16, 2009 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 111-101 | |
| Dec 18, 2009 | @ Dallas Mavericks | W 116-108 | |
| Dec 19, 2009 | vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | W 95-90 | |
| Dec 22, 2009 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | W 108-99 | |
| Dec 23, 2009 | @ Orlando Magic | L 102-87 | |
| Dec 26, 2009 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 98-93 | |
| Dec 27, 2009 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 108-83 | |
| Dec 29, 2009 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | W 108-100 | |
| Dec 31, 2009 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | W 97-94 | |
| Jan 02, 2010 | @ New Orleans Hornets | L 99-95 | |
| Jan 05, 2010 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 88-79 | |
| Jan 06, 2010 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 118-110 | |
| Jan 09, 2010 | vs. New York Knicks | W 105-96 | |
| Jan 12, 2010 | @ Charlotte Bobcats | L 102-94 | |
| Jan 13, 2010 | vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | W 120-114 | |
| Jan 15, 2010 | vs. Miami Heat | L 115-106 | |
| Jan 18, 2010 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 101-98 | |
| Jan 22, 2010 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 116-109 | |
| Jan 23, 2010 | vs. Chicago Bulls | L 104-97 | |
| Jan 25, 2010 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | L 102-95 | |
| Jan 27, 2010 | vs. Denver Nuggets | L 97-92 | |
| Jan 29, 2010 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 104-100 | |
| Jan 31, 2010 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 115-111 | |
| Feb 02, 2010 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 119-97 | |
| Feb 05, 2010 | @ Memphis Grizzlies | W 101-83 | |
| Feb 06, 2010 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 102-95 | |
| Feb 09, 2010 | @ Miami Heat | L 99-66 | |
| Feb 16, 2010 | vs. Utah Jazz | L 104-95 | |
| Feb 17, 2010 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | W 127-99 | |
| Feb 20, 2010 | vs. Indiana Pacers | L 125-115 | |
| Feb 21, 2010 | @ New Orleans Hornets | L 102-94 | |
| Feb 24, 2010 | vs. Orlando Magic | L 110-92 | |
| Feb 26, 2010 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 109-104 | |
| Feb 27, 2010 | @ Utah Jazz | L 133-110 | |
| Mar 01, 2010 | vs. Toronto Raptors | W 116-92 | |
| Mar 03, 2010 | vs. Sacramento Kings | L 84-81 | |
| Mar 06, 2010 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 112-98 | |
| Mar 07, 2010 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 110-107 | |
| Mar 09, 2010 | @ Washington Wizards | W 96-88 | |
| Mar 13, 2010 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 116-108 | |
| Mar 15, 2010 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 125-123 | |
| Mar 17, 2010 | vs. Memphis Grizzlies | W 107-94 | |
| Mar 19, 2010 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 94-87 | |
| Mar 21, 2010 | @ New York Knicks | W 116-112 | |
| Mar 22, 2010 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 98-88 | |
| Mar 24, 2010 | @ Oklahoma City Thunder | L 122-104 | |
| Mar 25, 2010 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | L 99-93 | |
| Mar 27, 2010 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 109-101 | |
| Mar 30, 2010 | vs. Washington Wizards | W 98-94 | |
| Mar 31, 2010 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 119-102 | |
| Apr 02, 2010 | @ Boston Celtics | W 119-114 | |
| Apr 04, 2010 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 133-102 | |
| Apr 06, 2010 | @ Memphis Grizzlies | W 113-103 | |
| Apr 07, 2010 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 113-96 | |
| Apr 09, 2010 | vs. Charlotte Bobcats | W 97-90 | |
| Apr 11, 2010 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 116-106 | |
| Apr 12, 2010 | @ Sacramento Kings | W 117-107 | |
| Apr 14, 2010 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | L 123-115 |