Houston Rockets 110-107 Los Angeles Lakers
In 20 minutes of action, Yao had 15 points, three boards, and four blocks.
This was a highly anticipated game, and both teams delivered. The game started with the Rockets dominating, but the Lakers came back in time to take the lead before the end of the first quarter. The Rockets took control of the game in the second however, and led almost the whole way. Aaron Brooks had a monster night of 22 points, nine assists, and three rebounds, ultimately becoming the performer of the game. Kevin Martin had a team high 24 points, but on a miserable 9/24 from the field, including 0/5 from the third dimension.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers regained the lead, and led by as many as six. The Rockets however, battled back. Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks scored their fair share of points, and Yao Ming contributed a three-point play. The Lakers would not go down without a fight. Kobe Bryant had a game high 34 points, and would rally back to the point where there was 10 seconds left, and the score was 110-107.
Shane Battier was in charge of guarding Kobe the whole game, holding him to 14/34 shooting from the field. In the last 10 seconds, the story was the same. Kobe surprisingly shook off Shane Battier, and got an open look for three, but it barely bounced short, and the Rockets hung on to steal the season opener in front of the Los Angeles crowd.
"It was definitely a lucky win. Kobe usually makes you pay when you leave him that wide open, but with both teams struggling from three, it makes sense," said Aaron Brooks after the game.Player of the Game-
Aaron Brooks
22 points | 9 ast | 3 reb
Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 24 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 6/9 FT
Yao Ming - 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 blocks, 7/12 FG
Luis Scola - 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 4/4 FG
Lakers:
Kobe Bryant - 34 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 14/34 FG
Andrew Bynum - 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 10/17 FG
Pau Gasol - 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 8/13 FG
Lamar Odom - 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 7/10 FG24 28 25 33 110
25 22 25 35 107
The bench put up a great performance of 33 combined points.
[1-0] Houston Rockets 117-103 Golden State Warriors
Hot shooting was key to the Rockets victory.
As you can expect, this was a high scoring game. Without Yao Ming, the Rockets sped up the tempo of the game, which led to their hot shooting all game. Kevin Martin had a better shooting night of 6/13, and 7/8 from the line, good for 20 points. Shane Battier had a team high 21 points on an efficient 9/11 from the field, and was awarded the player of the game honors.
On the other side, Monta Ellis torched the Rockets, with a game high 31 points on 13/19 shooting, and 3/4 from the third dimension. Both teams made nine three-pointers each, the Warriors going 9/21, and the Rockets going an eye-popping 9/13.Player of the Game-
Shane Battier
21 points | 9 reb | 2 stl | 9/11 FG
Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 7/8 FT
Aaron Brooks - 17 points, 11 assists, 2 rebounds, 5 turnovers
Luis Scola - 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 9/12 FG
Warriors:
Monta Ellis - 31 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 13/19 FG
Stephen Curry - 24 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 4/10 3PT31 24 24 24 103
Scola did an excellent job filling in for Yao.
[2-0] Houston Rockets 111-101 Denver Nuggets [1-1]
Chauncey Billups: 10 assists, 9 points on 4/23 shooting. Yikes.
The Rockets' hot shooting continued, but they weren't the only ones. Carmelo Anthony torched them with 47 points, on 20/30 from the field. "I'm concerned with our defense. This hot shooting can't go on all season, and if we're allowing teams to get hot, this will be a long season," said head coach Rick Adelman. Courtney Lee was surprisingly the top scorer for the Rockets. He had 19 points.Player of the Game-
Aaron Brooks
15 points | 10 ast | 3 stl | 1 reb
Key Performers:
Rockets:
Courtney Lee - 19 points, 1 steal, 8/14 FG
Luis Scola - 17 points, 12 rebounds
Kevin Martin - 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 stl, 7/14 FG
Yao Ming - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 6/11 FG
Nuggets:
Carmelo Anthony - 47 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 20/30 FG
Nene - 14 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 7/9 FG
Chauncey Billups - 9 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 4/23 FG23 19 30 29 101
Aaron Brooks has just been excellent these first three games.
This was a bit time consuming to write, so it's not the permanent layout.
Melo dropping 47 on us I think had to have been the biggest scare of the week.
That's some revenge. 
I got shocked.
I love how this game works though, the double-team slowed him down like molasses. 
Still, recaps every weekend, and during the week I'll likely have chapters/stories to keep you busy. 
Also, I may start a 1-on-1 tournament with the NLSC Draftees next week. Stay tuned. 
Anyways, I'm OK with the current pics, they're pretty decent looking. 
