VanVleet (undisclosed) isn't listed on the Rockets' injury report ahead of Thursday's game against the Pelicans.
VanVleet was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice for unknown reasons, but he'll be available to play New Orleans. In 24 appearances this season, VanVleet is averaging 15.3 points, 6.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals across 35.5 minutes.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Limited during Tuesday's practice
Rotowire
VanVleet didn't participate during the portion of Tuesday's practice that was open to the media, but coach Ime Udoka said the point guard was active for the rest of the session, Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610 Houston reports.
VanVleet missed a Dec. 8 win over the Clippers due to a knee issue, marking his second absence of the season, and he's totaled only 16 points (6-28 FG, 3-20 3Pt) over two appearances since returning to action. It's unclear if his prior knee issue is related to his current struggles or his limitations during Tuesday's practice. However, more clarity will come when the Rockets release their injury report for Thursday's game against the Pelicans, which should drop Wednesday afternoon.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Goes 1-of-11 from three
Rotowire
VanVleet produced eight points (3-15 FG, 1-11 3Pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 42 minutes during Saturday's 111-96 loss to Oklahoma City.
VanVleet felt the full force of the Thunder defense, shooting 1-of-11 from the three-point line. It's been a disappointing start to the season for VanVleet, at least from a production standpoint. Across 24 games, he is averaging 15.3 points, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.4 three-pointers in 35.4 minutes per game, shooting 37.7 percent from the floor. Although efficiency has never been a strong point for VanVleet, the hope is that he can improve in that area as the season continues to progress.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Says he will play Wednesday
Rotowire
VanVleet (knee) said Tuesday that he is good to go against the Warriors on Wednesday, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
VanVleet missed Sunday's game against the Clippers with a bruised right knee, his first missed game since Nov. 11. He's expected to be a full go Wednesday, however, meaning Amen Thompson will likely shift back to the bench. VanVleet is averaging 16.0 points and 5.9 assists through 22 regular-season games so far.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Won't play Sunday
Rotowire
VanVleet (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Clippers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
VanVleet is set to miss his first game since Nov. 11 due to a bruised right knee. Amen Thompson will draw the start at point guard in his place, and Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday are also candidates for extra work in VanVleet's absence.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Iffy to face Clippers
Rotowire
VanVleet is questionable for Sunday's game against the Clippers due to a right knee contusion.
Even though a knee contusion shouldn't be anything to worry about in most cases, the Rockets are being cautious with their star floor general. The questionable tag suggests Houston will take a cautious approach regarding VanVleet's status, but a decision regarding his availability will probably be made closer to the 9 p.m. ET tipoff. If VanVleet can't go, then Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday are expected to see more minutes.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Will play Thursday
Rotowire
VanVleet (knee) is available for Thursday's game against the Warriors.
VanVleet went unscathed through warmups, so the veteran floor general will be available for this contest against the Warriors. The veteran point guard hasn't missed a game since Nov. 11, and he'll keep that streak alive Thursday. VanVleet is averaging 19.1 points, 6.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game over his last 10 starts.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Expected to play Thursday
Rotowire
VanVleet (knee), who is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Warriors, will go through warmups with the intention of playing, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
VanVleet is questionable due to a right knee contusion, but he is expected to suit up barring any setbacks during warmups. The veteran point guard hasn't missed a game since Nov. 11, and in his last five outings (all starts), VanVleet averaged 19.8 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 0.6 steals across 37.6 minutes per game.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Questionable to play Thursday
Rotowire
VanVleet is questionable for Thursday's game against the Warriors due to a right knee contusion.
The veteran floor general has been a key part of the Rockets' impressive campaign, and not having him running the offense could be a huge blow for Houston. If he doesn't play Thursday, then Reed Sheppard, Aaron Holiday and Amen Thompson are all candidates to see more minutes in the backcourt.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Huge regression in loss
Rotowire
VanVleet registered 13 points (6-17 FG, 1-10 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist across 38 minutes during Tuesday's 120-111 loss to Sacramento.
After posting a season-high 38 points in his precious game, VanVleet came crashing back to Earth on Tuesday with one of his lowest totals of the season. Since joining the Rockets, VanVleet has been notoriously streaky, matching surprise triumphs with mediocre lows. It's evened out to a 16.1-point scoring average this season, but the veteran's role won't change because of an occasional poor shooting performance.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Posts season-high 38 points
Rotowire
VanVleet closed with 38 points (10-19 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 13-14 FT), two rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes during Sunday's 119-116 win over the Thunder.
VanVleet turned in a masterful performance in a signature win against the Thunder. Oklahoma City tried to slow him down, but VanVleet made them pay at the charity stripe. VanVleet has successfully avoided discipline after last week's ejection, which involved an argument between VanVleet and an official about an obvious missed call.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Won't be suspended
Rotowire
VanVleet won't be suspended for Saturday's incident with an official that resulted in an ejection, Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610 Houston reports.
The NBA acknowledged an incorrect call made against VanVleet, but the guard apologized for his unprofessionalism after the fact. He's expected to be in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Minnesota.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Ejected late in fourth quarter
Rotowire
VanVleet amassed eight points (4-13 FG, 0-6 3Pt), five rebounds, five assists and one steal over 28 minutes before getting ejected from Saturday's 104-98 loss to the Trail Blazers.
VanVleet had a woeful performance Saturday, missing all six of his three-point attempts, struggling to get into a rhythm offensively and getting ejected in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Don't be surprised if VanVleet receives some kind of suspension, as he was ejected after making contact with an official and appearing to poke the referee's eye. VanVleet should continue to operate as one of the Rockets' primary options on offense, but there's no doubt he's been struggling with his shot this season, shooting 30.5 percent from deep.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Hits four threes in win
Rotowire
VanVleet put up 18 points (6-14 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 2-3 FT), six assists, four steals and two rebounds over 35 minutes in Wednesday's 130-113 victory over the Pacers.
Wednesday night marked VanVleet's third time this season hitting four triples, and he also racked up his season high in steals (four). During Houston's blistering 11-5 start, VanVleet has averaged 15.8 points, 6.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks across 34.7 minutes, and he will continue to lead the charge as the team's primary facilitator moving forward.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Team-high 26 points in loss
Rotowire
VanVleet racked up 26 points (9-23 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal across 35 minutes during Monday's 101-100 loss to the Bucks.
VanVleet led the Rockets with a team high in points while stuffing the stat sheet Monday. However, the 30-year-old struggled from beyond the arc, where he has shot 33.3 percent across his last five outings. Despite shooting woes from outside, VanVleet has provided double-digit points, five-plus rebounds and five or more assists across each of his last five games.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Scores 28 in season-best game
Rotowire
VanVleet recorded 28 points (10-16 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals over 28 minutes during Sunday's 143-107 victory over the Bulls.
VanVleet provided Houston with a boost on both ends of the court Sunday, leading all Rockets players in scoring while posting a team-high-tying pair of steals and finishing second on the team in rebounds and assists. VanVleet also set a new season high in scoring and has now recorded at least 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in two straight contests.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Records double-double
Rotowire
VanVleet posted 18 points (7-15 FG, 4-8 3Pt), seven rebounds, 10 assists and two steals over 33 minutes during Friday's 125-104 victory over the Clippers.
VanVleet has been struggling with his shot all season long, but the veteran point guard took a step in the right direction Friday with an efficient effort that led him to posting his second double-double of the campaign. The veteran floor general came close to reaching a triple-double as well, coming up short of that achievement by just three boards. VanVleet could aim to build off this performance going forward, because even after this strong showing, he's averaging just 13.8 points per game while shooting 38 percent from the floor and 30.2 percent from beyond the arc.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Scores 15 points in return
Rotowire
VanVleet posted 15 points (6-18 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals in 34 minutes during Wednesday's 111-103 victory over the Clippers.
The final stat line might look decent on the surface for VanVleet, who returned to the starting unit after a one-game absence due to left hamstring soreness, but it doesn't change the fact that the veteran floor general is having a tough start to the season. Overall, VanVleet is averaging a mere 13.4 points and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 37.3 percent from the field. To put things into context, these are the veteran's worst numbers in the six years in which he's been an established starter at the NBA level.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Will play Wednesday
Rotowire
VanVleet (hamstring) will play Wednesday against the Clippers, Ben DuBose of USA Today reports.
VanVleet will shake off a questionable tag and return to action after missing Monday's win over Washington, which was the second night of a back-to-back set. The veteran guard is off to a rough start this season, averaging 13.2 points and 5.8 assists while shooting only 37.9 percent from the field.
... See More... See Less
Rockets' Fred VanVleet: Won't play Monday
Rotowire
VanVleet will not play Monday against the Wizards due to left hamstring soreness.
Monday's game is the second leg of a back-to-back set, so VanVleet's absence may be a byproduct of load management more so than the hamstring injury. VanVleet played 37 minutes in Sunday's 101-99 win over the Pistons, but he was held to seven points (3-13 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 0-2 FT) while contributing seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one block. With VanVleet sidelined for at least one game, Jalen Green could absorb most of the usage of the backcourt, while players such as Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard may notice spikes in playing time.
