1990–91 Houston Rockets season
The 1990–91 Houston Rockets season was the 24th season for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association, and their 20th season in Houston, Texas. During the off-season, the Rockets acquired Kenny Smith from the Atlanta Hawks, and signed free agent David Wood.
The Rockets played around.500 in winning percentage during the first half of the regular season, as Hakeem Olajuwon missed 25 games due to a bone fracture in his right eye. However, the Rockets showed improvement by holding a 27–21 record at the All-Star break, posting a 14–1 record in March, which included a 13-game winning streak. The team finished in third place in the Midwest Division with a 52–30 record, and earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Head coach Don Chaney was named the NBA Coach of the Year, after leading his team to an 11-game improvement over the previous season.
Olajuwon averaged 21.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 3.9 blocks per game in 56 games, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. In addition, Kenny Smith averaged 17.7 points, 7.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while Otis Thorpe provided the team with 17.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and Vernon Maxwell contributed 17.0 points and 1.5 steals per game, and led the league with 172 three-point field goals. Meanwhile, Buck Johnson provided with 13.6 points per game, while off the bench, Sleepy Floyd played a sixth man role, averaging 12.3 points, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game, Wood contributed 5.3 points per game, and defensive forward Larry Smith averaged 3.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kenny Smith participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second consecutive year; due to his eye injury, Olajuwon was not selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game. Kenny Smith finished in 17th place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Olajuwon finished in 18th place; Olajuwon also finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Kenny Smith finished in third place in Most Improved Player voting, with Larry Smith finishing tied in eighth place, and Larry Smith also finished tied in sixth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
In the Western Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Rockets faced off against the 3rd–seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Magic Johnson, All-Star forward James Worthy, and Byron Scott. The Rockets lost the first two games to the Lakers on the road at the Great Western Forum, before losing Game 3 at home, 94–90 at The Summit, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep; it was the second consecutive year that the Rockets had their season ended by the Lakers. The Lakers would lose in five games to the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 NBA Finals.
Following the season, Wood was released to free agency.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School or club team |
| 1 | 12 | Alec Kessler | PF |  United StatesPlayer statisticsPlayoffsPlayer statistics citation:Awards and records |