The 2012-13 Houston Rockets season marked a significant turning point for the franchise, highlighted by the acquisition of James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder just days before the season opener. Harden’s addition transformed the Rockets into a more competitive team, providing them with a dynamic offensive weapon who would become the cornerstone of the franchise for years to come.
Under head coach Kevin McHale, the Rockets finished the regular season with a 45-37 record, securing the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. This was a notable improvement from their previous season’s 34-32 record, and it marked the Rockets’ first playoff appearance since 2009. The team’s offensive style was characterized by a fast-paced, high-scoring approach, which was reflected in their league-leading average of 106 points per game.
In the postseason, the Rockets faced the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Despite a spirited effort, Houston was eliminated in six games, losing the series 4-2. James Harden, in particular, stood out during the series, averaging 26.3 points per game against his former team. The 2012-13 season laid the groundwork for future success, as the Rockets demonstrated their potential to become a formidable force in the Western Conference with Harden as their leader.
- Regular Season Record: 45-37
- Playoff Result: Western Conference First Round: 2-4
Houston Rockets Roster and Stats for 2012-13 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| James Harden | 78 | 25.9 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 36.8 | 6 | 26.3 | 6.7 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 34.1 |
| Chandler Parsons | 76 | 15.5 | 5.3 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 38.5 | 6 | 18.2 | 6.5 | 3.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 40.0 |
| Jeremy Lin | 82 | 13.4 | 3.0 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 33.9 | 4 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 16.7 |
| Patrick Patterson | 47 | 11.6 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 36.5 | |||||||
| Carlos Delfino | 67 | 10.6 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 37.5 | 5 | 9.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 35.5 |
| Ömer Aşık | 82 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 6 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Marcus Morris | 54 | 8.6 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 38.1 | |||||||
| Toney Douglas | 49 | 8.1 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 37.7 | |||||||
| Francisco García | 18 | 6.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 38.6 | 6 | 10.7 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 45.9 |
| Greg Smith | 70 | 6.0 | 4.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 5 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Donatas Motiejūnas | 44 | 5.7 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 28.9 | 1 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Patrick Beverley | 41 | 5.6 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 37.5 | 6 | 11.8 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 33.3 |
| Terrence Jones | 19 | 5.5 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 26.3 | 2 | 4.0 | 7.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Thomas Robinson | 19 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |||||||
| James Anderson | 29 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 32.7 | 2 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Daequan Cook | 16 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 36.7 | |||||||
| Cole Aldrich | 30 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Aaron Brooks | 7 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 28.6 | 6 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 11.1 |
| Scott Machado | 6 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Tim Ohlbrecht | 3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
Houston Rockets in the 2013 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
In the 2013 NBA Playoffs, the Houston Rockets faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, showcasing a spirited performance despite being the eighth seed. Led by James Harden, the Rockets pushed the top-seeded Thunder to six games, ultimately falling short but demonstrating resilience and potential for future success. This series marked a pivotal moment for Houston, highlighting Harden's emergence as a franchise cornerstone.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2013 | @ Oklahoma City Thunder | L 120-91 | |
| Apr 24, 2013 | @ Oklahoma City Thunder | L 105-102 | |
| Apr 27, 2013 | vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | L 104-101 | |
| Apr 29, 2013 | vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | W 105-103 | |
| May 01, 2013 | @ Oklahoma City Thunder | W 107-100 | |
| May 03, 2013 | vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | L 103-94 |
Houston Rockets 2012-13 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 2012-13 season for the Houston Rockets.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2012 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 105-96 | |
| Nov 02, 2012 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 109-102 | |
| Nov 03, 2012 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | L 95-85 | |
| Nov 07, 2012 | vs. Denver Nuggets | L 93-87 | |
| Nov 09, 2012 | @ Memphis Grizzlies | L 93-85 | |
| Nov 10, 2012 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 96-82 | |
| Nov 12, 2012 | vs. Miami Heat | L 113-110 | |
| Nov 14, 2012 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | W 100-96 | |
| Nov 16, 2012 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 119-117 | |
| Nov 18, 2012 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 119-108 | |
| Nov 19, 2012 | @ Utah Jazz | L 102-91 | |
| Nov 21, 2012 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 93-89 | |
| Nov 23, 2012 | vs. New York Knicks | W 131-103 | |
| Nov 27, 2012 | vs. Toronto Raptors | W 117-101 | |
| Nov 28, 2012 | @ Oklahoma City Thunder | L 120-98 | |
| Dec 01, 2012 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 124-116 | |
| Dec 04, 2012 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 107-105 | |
| Dec 07, 2012 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 114-92 | |
| Dec 08, 2012 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | L 116-109 | |
| Dec 10, 2012 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | L 134-126 | |
| Dec 12, 2012 | vs. Washington Wizards | W 99-93 | |
| Dec 14, 2012 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 101-89 | |
| Dec 16, 2012 | @ Toronto Raptors | L 103-96 | |
| Dec 17, 2012 | @ New York Knicks | W 109-96 | |
| Dec 19, 2012 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 125-103 | |
| Dec 22, 2012 | vs. Memphis Grizzlies | W 121-96 | |
| Dec 25, 2012 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 120-97 | |
| Dec 26, 2012 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 87-84 | |
| Dec 28, 2012 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 122-116 | |
| Dec 29, 2012 | vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | L 124-94 | |
| Dec 31, 2012 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 123-104 | |
| Jan 02, 2013 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | W 104-92 | |
| Jan 04, 2013 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | W 115-101 | |
| Jan 05, 2013 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 112-104 | |
| Jan 08, 2013 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 125-112 | |
| Jan 09, 2013 | @ New Orleans Hornets | L 88-79 | |
| Jan 11, 2013 | @ Boston Celtics | L 103-91 | |
| Jan 12, 2013 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 107-100 | |
| Jan 15, 2013 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | L 117-109 | |
| Jan 16, 2013 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 105-100 | |
| Jan 18, 2013 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 105-95 | |
| Jan 19, 2013 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | L 92-79 | |
| Jan 21, 2013 | @ Charlotte Bobcats | W 100-94 | |
| Jan 23, 2013 | vs. Denver Nuggets | L 105-95 | |
| Jan 25, 2013 | @ New Orleans Hornets | W 100-82 | |
| Jan 26, 2013 | vs. Brooklyn Nets | W 119-106 | |
| Jan 28, 2013 | @ Utah Jazz | W 125-80 | |
| Jan 30, 2013 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 118-110 | |
| Feb 02, 2013 | vs. Charlotte Bobcats | W 109-95 | |
| Feb 05, 2013 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 140-109 | |
| Feb 06, 2013 | @ Miami Heat | L 114-108 | |
| Feb 08, 2013 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 118-103 | |
| Feb 10, 2013 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 117-111 | |
| Feb 12, 2013 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 116-107 | |
| Feb 13, 2013 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | L 106-96 | |
| Feb 20, 2013 | vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | W 122-119 | |
| Feb 22, 2013 | @ Brooklyn Nets | W 106-96 | |
| Feb 23, 2013 | @ Washington Wizards | L 105-103 | |
| Feb 27, 2013 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 110-107 | |
| Mar 01, 2013 | @ Orlando Magic | W 118-110 | |
| Mar 03, 2013 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | W 136-103 | |
| Mar 06, 2013 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 112-108 | |
| Mar 08, 2013 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 94-88 | |
| Mar 09, 2013 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 107-105 | |
| Mar 13, 2013 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 111-81 | |
| Mar 15, 2013 | vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | W 108-100 | |
| Mar 17, 2013 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 108-78 | |
| Mar 20, 2013 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 100-93 | |
| Mar 22, 2013 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 116-78 | |
| Mar 24, 2013 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 96-95 | |
| Mar 27, 2013 | vs. Indiana Pacers | L 100-91 | |
| Mar 29, 2013 | @ Memphis Grizzlies | L 103-94 | |
| Mar 30, 2013 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | W 98-81 | |
| Apr 01, 2013 | vs. Orlando Magic | W 111-103 | |
| Apr 03, 2013 | @ Sacramento Kings | W 112-102 | |
| Apr 05, 2013 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 116-98 | |
| Apr 06, 2013 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 132-114 | |
| Apr 09, 2013 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 101-98 | |
| Apr 12, 2013 | vs. Memphis Grizzlies | L 82-78 | |
| Apr 14, 2013 | vs. Sacramento Kings | W 121-100 | |
| Apr 15, 2013 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 119-112 | |
| Apr 17, 2013 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 99-95 |