[37-11] Houston Rockets 110-106 Memphis Grizzlies [18-28]
SimmedKey Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 9/13 FG, 1/3 3P, 7/7 FT
Kyle Lowry - 22 points, 7 assists, 1 rebound, 9/16 FG, 4/4 FT
Yao Ming - 16 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 7/11 FG
Thabo Sefolosha - 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3/7 FG
Grizzlies:Rudy Gay - 17 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 5/13 FG, 6/7 FT
Michael Conley - 17 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 8/14 FG
OJ Mayo - 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5/14 FG, 3/5 FT
Thierry Tirieux - 11 points, 7 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 3/10 FG, 5/7 FT
Marc Gasol - 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3/3 FG, 5/5 FT
24 32 28 26 110
25 19 33 29 106[38-11] Houston Rockets 102-103 Los Angeles Clippers [22-26]
Kyle Lowry had it going from outside. | Kevin Martin comes up with a huge dunk over Blake Griffin.
Griffin got the last laugh as he led his team to a win. | Eric Gordon scored 35 points... on 40 shot attempts.It had been a while since the Rockets were kept at bay like this. The Rockets never caught a glimpse of the lead. Thanks to
Blake Griffin's consistent game, the Clippers were able to sneak by with a win. Griffin had 27 points and pulled down 16 rebounds.
Los Angeles built an early lead in the first, and it seemed as if they would not relinquish it.
Eric Gordon had 25 first half points, but he was held to just 10 in the second half.
Occasionally, it would seem as if the Clippers were about to push their lead to double-digits, but Houston would counter with a run. When a layup from Griffin made the score 90-79 in the fourth quarter, things began to look grim for the Rockets. Behind
Kevin Martin (team high 32 points), the Rockets built a 16-5 run to even the score at 95. From then on, both teams traded buckets, eventually getting to 99 even.
Two consecutive field goals from Griffin sealed the deal; with the score at 103-99 and only eight seconds left, the Rockets only managed to score a three-pointer to pull within one. Since they were not over the foul limit, they did not have time to intentionally foul twice as time ran out on them.
Notes: Houston shot the ball better at 48%, while the Clippers shot it at 45%. Houston also went 10/19 from beyond the arc, and the Clippers went an abysmal 3/16. The Clippers forced 13 Rocket turnovers, and had 12 offensive boards, their two biggest keys to keeping the Rockets at bay.
Key Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 32 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 blocks, 9/18 FG, 4/6 3P, 10/11 FT
Kyle Lowry - 18 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 7/12 FG, 4/6 3P
Yao Ming - 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 6/7 FG, 2/2 FT
Courtney Lee - 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3/6 FG, 1/3 3P, 3/3 FT
Thabo Sefolosha - 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3/10 FG, 1/3 3P
Clippers:Eric Gordon - 35 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 15/40 FG, 3/11 3P, 2/3 FT
Blake Griffin - 27 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 13/18 FG
Chauncey Billups - 12 points, 11 assists, 1 rebound, 5/13 FG, 2/2 FT
Al-Farouq Aminu - 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 5/8 FG
DeAndre Jordan - 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 4/9 FG
26 25 26 25 102
33 22 29 19 103[38-12] Houston Rockets 104-108 Portland Trail Blazers [25-24]
Gerald Wallace becomes Kevin Martin's poster victim. | Yao Ming made great plays down the stretch
Brandon Roy fought hard to lead his team to victory. | LaMarcus Aldridge knocks down the three-point dagger.In the past few years, the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers have locked themselves into close battles, and this game was no different. Throughout the game, the lead was shared just about evenly. Portland's biggest lead was five, and Houston's biggest lead was four.
Kevin Martin's early struggle was key for Portland's chances in this one. Through three quarters, Martin had scored just 11 points on 4/17 shooting. Martin went on to score 12 in the fourth quarter, converting on all four of his field goal attempts. He finished with 23 points on 8/21 shooting.
"
You gotta give them credit. They knew my every move, and it was frustrating just trying to dribble the ball," Martin acknowledged Portland's defense, which ranks among one of the top five in the league.
Keeping the Rockets in it was
Kyle Lowry and
Courtney Lee. They scored 18 and 15 respectively, with Lowry draining four triples, three in the first half.
Portland was kept in it by
LaMarcus Aldridge, who had a game high 37 points, with eight boards to accompany his huge point total.
Brandon Roy helped round out his scoring with 28 of his own, on 9/21 shooting.
In the fourth quarter, Houston was able to take back the lead with a 14-6 run sparked by Lee. However, they coughed up the ball five times in the fourth, allowing Portland to stay at their level. The score tied at 101 with 55 seconds left, Roy knocked down two clutch free throws to make it 103-101.
Yao Ming (12 points, eight boards, and three rejections), was double-teamed on the high post next possession, and he dished it to an open
Luis Scola (10 points, five boards), who knocked it down from the baseline to tie the game once again.
In Portland's next possession, Houston played great defense not allowing them an easy shot. It led to Aldridge trapping himself behind the arc, and with two seconds on the shot clock, he had to take a three... and he sunk it. That put Portland up 106-101, and after Martin sunk a three at the other end, time wasn't on Houston's side anymore as they fell 108-104 at the Rose Garden. Their four-game road trip has come to a conclusion, as they went 2-2 with wins over Dallas and Memphis, but two consecutive losses against the Clippers and Portland.
Notes: Portland shot a blistering 53% while Houston shot 48%. Both teams were even in free throw shooting; Houston went 24/27, Portland went 25/28.
Key Performers:Rockets:Kevin Martin - 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 8/21 FG, 6/6 FT
Kyle Lowry - 18 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 6/13 FG, 4/5 3P
Courtney Lee - 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 6/8 FG
Yao Ming - 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 3/6 FG, 6/7 FT
Luis Scola - 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 4/8 FG
Trail Blazers:LaMarcus Aldridge - 37 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 15/26 FG, 6/6 FT
Brandon Roy - 28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 9/21 FG, 2/6 3P, 8/8 FT
Gerald Wallace - 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4/8 FG, 6/6 FT
Andre Miller - 9 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, 4 steals, 3/6 FG
Greg Oden - 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 4/6 FG
20 29 20 35 104
23 22 30 33 108