[52-17] Houston Rockets 114-101 New Jersey Nets [28-38]
Despite
Deron Williams's recent return from injury, the Nets have continued to struggle. It was apparent in this game, as Williams was held to just seven points. However, he did have 12 assists.
Shannon Brown led New Jersey in scoring with 32 points, and
Zach Randolph rounded it all out with a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Kevin Martin top scored for the Houston with 24 points accompanied by an all-around stat line of seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and a block.
Patrick Patterson had a great game off the bench with 19 on 9/11 shooting, and
Luis Scola and
Kyle Lowry scored 17 and 16 respectively.
Houston's lead was as big as 26 at one point, as they just ran away with this one. The Rockets shot 52% from the field, while New Jersey wasn't too far behind at 48%. Houston had a great game from three-point land, shooting 10/24.
Key Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 24 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 9/20 FG, 3/7 3P, 3/3 FT
Patrick Patterson - 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 9/11 FG, 1/1 FT
Luis Scola - 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 7/10 FG, 3/3 FT
Kyle Lowry - 16 points, 8 assists, 1 rebound, 5/9 FG, 5/5 3P, 1/2 FT
Courtney Lee - 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 5/11 FG, 1/5 3P, 2/2 FT
Yao Ming - 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6/6 FG
Nets:Shannon Brown - 32 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 13/25 FG, 4/11 3P, 2/2 FT
Zach Randolph - 19 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 8/16 FG, 3/3 FT
Brook Lopez - 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 6/7 FG, 2/2 FT
Gerald Wallace - 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 7/13 FG
Damion James - 13 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 6/9 FG, 1/2 3P
Deron Williams - 7 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 3/15 FG, 1/5 3P
39 29 26 20 114
26 23 22 30 101[53-17] Houston Rockets 121-108 Portland TrailBlazers [37-32]
After a high scoring and competitive first quarter, the Portland TrailBlazers fell off, scoring a meager 13 second quarter points. The Houston Rockets were up 16 at halftime, and it looked as though this would be a runaway game.
Brandon Roy top scored for Portland with 37 points, including 4/9 from downtown.
Nicolas Batum supported his efforts with 19 points, 3/7 from downtown. Even though Portland went a decent 9/24 from three-point range, they had a mediocre game from the charity stripe, shooting 17/24.
LaMarcus Aldridge also spent most of the game in foul trouble, only managing eight points but on an excellent 4/6 shooting. That hampered their comeback effort, because at one point they were able to chip the margin down to eight.
Kevin Martin put Portland away with an incredible game, for he had a game high 39 points. He also played a distributing role, for his 10 assists gave him the double-double. He seemingly did everything, but he had great support from his frontcourt.
Luis Scola had 21 points and 10 boards, while
Yao Ming had 19 points and six boards, with four blocks.
Houston shot 54% from the field, Portland shot 49%. That's been the story in recent games for Houston; they don't put much regard for defense, because they outscore every team.
Key Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 39 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 14/25 FG, 4/6 3P, 7/7 FT
Luis Scola - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 8/12 FG, 5/5 FT
Yao Ming - 19 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 8/13 FG, 3/3 FT
Kyle Lowry - 11 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 4/8 FG, 1/2 3P, 2/2 FT
TrailBlazers:Brandon Roy - 37 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 14/26 FG, 4/9 3P, 5/8 FT
Nicolas Batum - 19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 8/13 FG, 3/7 3P
Andre Miller - 13 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 4/8 FG, 5/8 FT
Greg Oden - 12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 5/11 FG, 2/2 FT
LaMarcus Aldridge - 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4/6 FG
32 31 32 28 121
34 13 33 26 108[54-17] Houston Rockets 104-96 Los Angeles Lakers [38-33]
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm early on as they shot below 40% to start the first quarter.
Kevin Martin started the game 0/5 on his field goals, and after a long string of high percentage shooting games, Houston looked like they were in trouble.
Things went back and forth throughout the first half, with the Lakers leading by one at halftime. However, Houston came out in the second half to go on a backbreaking 23-6 run, as they outscored Los Angeles 35-25 in the third quarter, leading by nine going into the final quarter. Taking advantage of
Kobe Bryant's long third quarter rest, Houston's bench upped the tempo to tire out the Lakers.
Goran Dragic scored 10 points and four assists off the bench to lead the efforts of the second unit.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers were manned by Bryant, as on many an occasion he'd trim the margin to an uncomfortably close number, making Houston have to answer his play. Bryant finished with a game high 37 points, but his effort was not enough. Houston was led by
Kevin Martin's 30 points and all-around stat line to secure the win, their tenth in a row to be specific.
Key Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 10/21 FG, 3/5 3P, 8/10 FT
Yao Ming - 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 7/11 FG, 2/2 FT
Luis Scola - 14 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5/13 FG, 4/4 FT
Goran Dragic - 10 points, 4 assists, 4/10 FG, 2/4 FT
Kyle Lowry - 10 points, 12 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 3/7 FG, 2/5 3P, 2/2 FT
Lakers:Kobe Bryant - 37 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 14/35 FG, 2/4 3P, 7/7 FT
Pau Gasol - 16 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 7/11 FG, 2/2 FT
Metta World Peace - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 4/8 FG, 4/7 3P
Andrew Bynum - 9 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4/9 FG, 1/1 FT
20 24 35 24 104
22 25 25 25 96[55-17] Houston Rockets 105-93 Washington Wizards [28-44]Key Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 32 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 8/18 FG, 4/9 3P, 12/12 FT
Luis Scola - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 6/8 FG, 4/6 FT
Shane Battier - 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 6/10 FG, 1/1 3P, 2/2 FT
Kyle Lowry - 13 points, 8 assists, 2 steals, 5/11 FG, 3/3 FT
Thabo Sefolosha - 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 4/7 FG, 1/1 3P
Wizards:Rashard Lewis - 25 points, 8 rebounds, 8/14 FG, 6/9 3P, 3/3 FT
Nick Young - 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 6/6 FG, 2/2 3P, 1/2 FT
Derrick Williams - 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 4/8 FG, 1/2 3P, 4/4 FT
John Wall - 13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 4/12 FG, 1/4 3P, 4/6 FT
JaVale McGee - 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3/6 FG, 3/6 FT
Andray Blatche - 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4/8 FG, 1/2 FT
32 27 26 20 105
28 22 18 25 93[56-17] Houston Rockets 110-116 New York Knicks [38-34]
The New York Knicks were red hot in this game. They converted on 12 of their first 15 field goals, and the offensive massacre didn't stop there, as New York shot 59% in the first half, 55% for the game.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with a team high 40 points on 18/33 shooting.
Houston was far behind New York's level on offense, but it wasn't mediocre either. They shot 48% from the field for the game, but they just had no answer for the Knicks' hot shooting.
Facing at 17-point deficit, the Rockets got back into it by back-to-back threes from
Shane Battier. This gave them momentum, as they chipped the margin down to five.
It was not meant to be however, because for every run Houston put on the table, New York answered it with another hope-crushing one.
"
I think we did what we could on defense. We were forcing them to take tough shots, we played the passing lanes well, and anything else you'd ask for. They just had it going, and while it's frustrating when that happens, there's nothing to be done about it," Battier said, crediting his teammates while still acknowledging New York's amazing game.
Kevin Martin led Houston's futile effort, with a game high 41 points. He beat Anthony in almost every aspect of this game, except in rebounding and getting the win. Both teams had excellent ball movement, as New York had 29 assists while Houston had 27. Houston shot 8/19 from downtown, a key stat that prevented this game from being a blowout.
Despite the disappointing loss that ended their 11-game win streak, the Rockets don't have much to worry about. They've clinched the Southwest division, and are about a couple of games away from clinching the Western Conference.
Key Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 41 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 13/23 FG, 2/4 3P, 13/13 FT
Yao Ming - 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 7/12 FG, 2/2 FT
Shane Battier - 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4/7 FG, 3/5 3P, 2/2 FT
Luis Scola - 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 5/8 FG, 2/2 FT
Goran Dragic - 7 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 3/6 FG, 1/2 3P
Knicks:Carmelo Anthony - 40 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 18/33 FG, 2/9 3P, 2/2 FT
Ronny Turiaf - 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 7/8 FG
Amar'e Stoudemire - 15 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 7/11 FG
Steve Nash - 15 points, 14 assists, 1 rebound, 4/10 FG, 7/7 FT
Landry Fields - 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 6/11 FG
Kelenna Azubuike - 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4/9 FG, 2/4 3P
27 29 28 26 110
39 22 34 21 116[56-18] Houston Rockets 107-84 Toronto Raptors [25-49]Key Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 23 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 10/18 FG, 3/6 3P
Kyle Lowry - 23 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 5 steals, 8/13 FG, 1/2 3P, 6/9 FT
Shane Battier - 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 5/9 FG, 2/4 3P, 4/5 FT
Luis Scola - 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 5/11 FG, 2/2 FT
Yao Ming - 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 4/11 FG
Raptors:Jose Calderon - 14 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 4/6 FG, 3/4 3P, 3/5 FT
Leandro Barbosa - 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 4/12 FG, 2/6 3P, 3/3 FT
Ed Davis - 11 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 5/15 FG, 1/2 FT
Andrea Bargnani - 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 3/8 FG, 4/4 FT
Brandon Knight - 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4/13 FG, 1/2 FT
28 20 34 25 107
26 18 21 19 84