Rockets Cruise to 21-point win over Sixers

Monday night at Toyota Center, the Houston Rockets do what good teams to bad teams -- jump on them early and not let up until garbage time. The Rockets (28-16) completely overwhelmed the Philadelphia 76ers (14-32) 105 to 84 before an announced crowd of 14,216 fans. Houston led by as many as 41 points during the ball game.

Rafer Alston: "...shut 'em down tonight..."

Tracy McGrady led all scorers with a game-high 25 points in just 29 minutes and 40 seconds of action. Juwan Howard added 20 points; 10 rebounds; and six assists in just 30 minutes of game time.

The Rockets led 29 to 21 at the end of the first quarter; and, during that period, Houston dished out 11 assists on their 12 made baskets.

The rout began in the second quarter as Houston raced to a 19 to 4 run in just six plus minutes.

Houston led 58 to 34 at halftime.

The Rockets continued to put the pedal to the metal in the third period as the Sixers showed no signs of life. Houston outscored the 76ers 31 to 17 in the third to lead 89 to 51 heading to the fourth period.

The Rockets deep reserves did a poor job of maintaining the lead which head coach Jeff Van Gundy did not appreciate after the ball game. However, as the lead lead slowly dwindled to respectability, the only drama remaining in the game was if Billy Spanoulis would get any minutes. He did.

Spanoulis entered the game with 5:25 left in the game. He finished the game with two points (1 for 3 shooting); two turnovers; and two rebounds.

The Rockets' 31 assists tonight were a season-high which surpassed their previous best of 30 set at Golden State (12/14/06). Overall, the Rockets held a 31-17 (+14) margin in assists over the Sixers.

Jeff Van Gundy: "...good energy level..."

After the game T-Mac was pleased with the win; but, he said it "...looks good but..."

After the game, Sixers head coach Maurice Cheeks said, "That was a game that Houston defended us after the six-minute mark. We didn't move the ball, and they got easy shots all night. They played very good defense, and our defense wasn't where we wanted it. After the six or seven-minute mark we got down by 20 (points). Their defense was so much better than our offense; and, they made a lot of easy shots."

JVG, Bonzi, T-Mac after Rockets Blast Blazers by 30

Unlike my media colleagues, I don't have to go into detail about blowout victories. Take tonight's Rockets 99 to 69 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers (18-26) at Toyota Center.

After leading 10 to 2, Houston's offense bog down and Portland crept into the lead. Then, the rest of the first half crawled to a woeful 36 to 34 Rockets lead at halftime.

Thankfully, Houston's Tracy McGrady took over in the third quarter. T-Mac outscored Portland 17 to 14 in the period and the Rockets blew the game wide open with a 32 to 14 performance.

Portland was able to score 21 points in the fourth period; but, the Rockets scored 31.

Bonzi Wells scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in his most complete game as a Rocket thus far.

Shane Battier added 15 points and Luther Head chipped in 11 points.

The Rockets held Portland forward Zach Randolph to just 13 points on 5 for 15 shooting from the field. Randolph was the lone Blazer to score in double figures.

Houston held Portland to its fewest points ever scored against the Rockets in the all-time series between these two teams. The previous low was 76 done twice (last on 4/5/06). The Rockets also extended its current winning streak over the Trail Blazers at Toyota Center to six games.

With 12 rebounds tonight, Chuck Hayes posted his first double-digit rebounding performance since a career-high 15 boards vs. Golden State (12/5/06). Hayes also set a career best with seven offensive rebounds

Jeff Van Gundy: "...he (McGrady) sets the tone..."

T-Mac: "...Jeff being Jeff..."

Bonzi: "...keep my mouth shut..."

The Rockets continue their five-game homestand Monday, January 29, versus the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is set for 7:35 p.m.

Coogs Come from behind and beat UCF in OT

MP3s won't go here at least right now; but, I just want to comment on the Houston Cougars huge comeback win (73 to 70) tonight over UCF. The Cougars trailed the Golden Knights 35 to 15 at halftime; and, UH looked listless and lost and worse than the 20 point halftime deficit indicated. However, to the team's credit, the Coogs methodically "walked down" UCF in the second half until they tied the score at 64 on a three-point shot by junior guard Marcus Malone with just 43 seconds left in the second half.

UCF failed to score on the next possession; and, Houston's Robert "Fluff" McKiver missed a three-point shot at the buzzer.

Overtime.

With the score tied at 68 in the extra session, Malone drained another three-point shot (again with 43 seconds left) to give Houston a lead it would not surrender. Oliver Lafayette made two free throws with six seconds left to give Houston a 73 to 70 lead. UCF's Jermaine Taylor missed a three-point attempt to give Houston the dramatic victory.

Considering Houston blew a 24 point second half lead last week to crosstown Rival, the heart the Cougars showed tonight in this win over UCF was definitely a sight to see.

Suns Too Much for Rockets, 100 to 91

Heading into tonight's match-up with the Phoenix Suns, the Houston Rockets knew they would face the Suns without center Yao Ming. Well, before the ball game, the Rockets' players learned they would also face the Suns without star player Tracy McGrady. T-Mac didn't suit up tonight due to sore lower; however, the injury isn't believed to be as serious as his back pain last month which resulted in him missing seven straight games. McGrady's status is listed as day-to-day.

Phoenix (30-8) defeated Houston (25-15) 100 to 91 before the 11th announced (18,244) sell-out crowd at Toyota Center.

Houston tonight played in just its 10th game ever (1/10/06-1/18/06; 4/12/06-4/19/06; 1/17/07) without the services of both Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. The Rockets are now 1-9 in those outings.

The Rockets led 28 to 19 at end of the first quarter; and, pushed the lead to as big as 15 (42 to 27) with 5:15 left in the second quarter. Then, Phoenix got hot from long range. Thanks to four three-point shots (two from guard Leandro Barbosa and two from guard Steve Nash), the Suns scored 16 unanswered points in three minutes and two seconds to take a 43 to 42 lead with 2:13 left in the first half.

The Rockets did not wilt under the scoring onslaught; and, in fact, finished the first half with a 51 to 48 lead after a three-point shot by guard Luther Head.

The third quarter went back and forth the first five and a half minutes until the Rockets took a 65 to 60 lead following six straight points. The Suns scored 10 consecutive points in the midst of a 17-2 scoring run to move ahead of the Rockets 77 to 67 with 1:53 left in the third quarter.

The Rockets trailed 79 to 75 after three quarters.

Phoenix kept the Rockets at arm's length throughout the final period as Houston got no closer than two points (79 to 75) in the period. Rafer Alston kept the Rockets close with nine of his 16 second half points in the fourth quarter. However, a few lapses on pick-and-roll defense allowed Nash, Barbosa, and guard Raja Bell to make open three point shots which helped Phoenix maintain the lead.

Phoenix went 17-of-34 from beyond the arc tonight. The Suns set the Rockets all-time record for 3-point field goals made, surpassing the previous high of 16 makes by the Bucks against the Rockets vs. Milwaukee (2/20/06). Phoenix's 34 3-point attempts tied for the third most against the Rockets, equaling the 34 taken by the Suns against Houston vs. Phoenix (1/5/05). The most 3-point attempts ever taken against the Rockets stands at 37 by the Warriors in an overtime game at Golden State (12/14/05).

Alston finished the game with a season-high 29 points. He also added eight assists. Forward Shane Battier and Luther Head each scored 16 points.

Phoenix placec five players in double-figures including three (Nash, 21; Barbosa, 20; and center Amare Stoudemire, team-high 22) players who scored 20 points or more.

Nash also dished out a game-high 14 assists while forward Shawn Marion grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds in addition to his 14 points.

Post-game comments from Jeff Van Gundy and Dikembe Mutombo:
JVG: "...as a fan..."
JVG: "...better chance to win."
Mutombo (on his playing time): "...go small on us..."

The Suns had a 47-39 advantage on the glass tonight, marking the fourth straight game the Rockets have been outrebounded by their opponents. Prior to this four-game stretch, Houston had been outrebounded in consecutive games only one time before this season.

The Rockets have given up 100 or more points in the last three games. Houston's longest such streak this season is five consecutive games (12/9/06-12/17/06).

The Rockets have now dropped five straight games overall to the Suns. Houston also has an active six-game home losing streak to Phoenix.

Rockets' Team Effort Routs Lakers by 25

So much for the Tracy McGrady versus Kobe Bryant show Wednesday night at Toyota Center.

The Houston Rockets raced past the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half to rout LA 102 to 77 before a sold out crowd of 18,331 fans. Surprisingly, the Rockets defeated the Lakers despite a poor shooting performance by McGrady. T-Mac scored eight points and shot just 4 for 16 from the field; however, he did dish out a game-high 12 assists.

Bryant finished the game with 20 points on 6 for 18 shooting. He did not finish the ball game due to a strained groin.

Juwan Howard scored a game-high 23 points (10 for 20 from the field). Howard also pulled down 11 rebounds. Rafer Alston chipped in 20 points (8 for 19, 4 for 9 on threes); five rebounds; and four assists.

However, the star of the game for the Rockets was the "young fella" -- Dikembe Mutombo. Mutombo grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds; blocked five shots; and, even added seven points including a baseline 10-foot shot. Deke surprassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3,189) for second place on the NBA's all-time blocked shot list with his fourth blocked shot of the game. The sell-out crowd gave Deke a standing ovation to acknowledge his feat. Mutombo now trails just one player -- Hakeem Olajuwon on the list. Dream blocked 3,830 shots in his spectacular NBA career.

In a surprise to me the Lakers began the game with Bryant defending McGrady; however, the move backfired when Bryant was called for his second foul (an offensive foul) early in the first period. Despite Bryant's sitting on the bench, the Rockets only led the Lakers 24 to 22 at the end of the first quarter.

Bryant started the second quarter and finished the period with 10 points to help the Lakers win the period 24 to 23.

Houston led 47 to 46 at halftime.

Jeff Van Gundy: "...found a better energy in the second half..."

The Rockets erupted in the third quarter and outscored the Lakers 25 to 12 to take a 72 to 58 lead into the fourth period. Alston scored nine points in the third period followed by seven from Juwan Howard.

Lakers head coach, Phil Jackson, was ejected with 15.3 seconds left in the third period.

It's good for Phil he left the game early because the Rockets continued to pour it on the Lakers in the fourth period.

Chuck Hayes began the Rockets' fourth quarter scoring with a reverse lay-up; then, Juwan Howard scored two straight lay-ups and knocked down a 19-foot jump shot to increase the Rockets to 80 to 60 with 8:34 left in the ball game.

Houston kept the pedal to the medal and the emphatic hammer of the ball game was slammed home (literally) when Luther Head threw down a vicious slam dunk at the 3:53 mark (over Lakers big man Rony Turiaf) to give the Rockets a 90 to 66 lead.

Head drained a three-point jumper to push the Rockets over the century mark with 9.1 seconds remaining for the final score.

The Lakers' 77 points tonight were their lowest point total of the season. The previous low of 82 occurred versus Chicago on November 19, 2006. The Lakers also set season lows in field goals made (26), field goal percentage (.342) and assists (14, tied).

After the game, Lakers forward Vladimir Radmonivic summed up the Rockets' victory this way: "There was nothing positive about the game. We got our ass kicked and that is all there is to say."

Tracy McGrady: "...we believe..."

McGrady's 44 Leads Rockets to Win over Jazz

I'm sure the Tracy McGrady "haters" will find fault with his 44-point performance tonight; but, I have nothing but positives to say about T-Mac. He led the Rockets (21-12) to a very solid 100 to 86 win over the Utah Jazz (23-10) tonight at Toyota Center before an announced sell-out crowd of 18,059 fans.

As usual, Rafer Alston took the first shot of the game; and, he swished a three-point shot which seem to set the tempo for the Rockets the rest of the game. McGrady followed with two free throws and two consecutive three-point shots to give the Rockets a quick 11 - 0 lead barely two minutes into the ball game.

Deron Williams ended Utah's scoring drought with a three-pointer of his own; but, McGrady followed a tip-in by Dikembe Mutombo with a driving lay-up and his third three-point shot to push Houston's lead to 18 to 3 with 8:41 left in the first quarter.

McGrady finished the first quarter with 19 points on 6 for 10 shooting (3 for 5 on threes and 2 for 2 on free throws).

Houston led 29 to 19 at the end of the first period.

T-Mac: "...tough to double..."

Williams banked in a thirty-three foot shot at the halftime buzzer to trim Houston's lead to 54 to 45. McGrady finished the first half with 27 points. Williams and Carlos Boozer scored 10 points each for Utah.

Rookie swingman Ronnie Brewer converted a three-point play to pull Utah within six points to start the third quarter; however, Houston scored nine consecutive points to increase the lead to 63 to 48 at the 8:55 mark of the third quarter. The lead would get as large as 20 points during the third; however, Utah finished the quarter with a 17 to 9 run to end the quarter trailing the Rockets by 12 points (82 to 70).

The fourth quarter went back and forth as each team traded baskets. Utah never pulled closer than 10 points during the period.

Mutombo finished the game with a season-high 19 rebounds.

McGrady's 44 points were a season-high; and, they marked his first 40-point game since last season at Milwaukee on January 23, 2006. He shot 14 for 31 from the field (3 for 10 on threes and 13 for 16 from the foul line).

The Rockets never trailed in tonight's game which marked the seventh time this season Houston has not trailed once in a game.

Tonight's win for the Rockets is their fifth straight victory which sets their longest winning streak thus far season.

Boozer finished the game with 15 points and 17 rebounds tonight. He now has 25 double-doubles this season ranking him second in the NBA behind Minnesota's Kevin Garnett (27).

After the game, JVG: "...everybody's good in this league..."

The Rockets start a two game road trip this Sunday, January 7, versus Minnesota. Tip-off is set for 2:30 pm.

JVG after Rockets 103 - 96 win over Seattle

Much of my time tonight was spent covering the Houston Comets; so, I missed most of the Rockets - Sonics game at Toyota Center. (Apparently, many more fans missed the game, too, the announced attendance was 11,133.)

Houston (20 - 12) defeated Seattle (13 - 21) 103 to 96.

Tracy McGrady scored a team-high 31 points and dished out a team-high seven assists while Juwan Howard scored 18 points. Rafer Alston scored 13 points and forward Shane Battier added 12 points.

Once again, Dikembe Mutombo, the young fella, controlled the boards with 12 rebounds including key offensive rebounds down the stretch of the ball game.

Here are Jeff Van Gundy's post-game comments: "...we found a way to win..."

Ray Allen after Sonics loss to the Rockets

Because I spent much of the game working on Houston Comets news, I didn't get a chance to watch much of tonight's Rockets - Sonics game; however, I did see Seattle Supersonics star guard Ray Allen score 12 points in the fourth quarter on some very difficult shots. Ray shot 4 for 6 in the fourth including shooting 2 for 3 from behind the three-point line. (Man, he's got a beautiful jump shot!)

Allen finished the game with 32 points; however, Seattle lost to Houston 103 to 96.

Here are some of Ray's post-game comments: "...we didn't get any stops..."

Damien Wilkins added 19 points for the Supes; followed by 13 from Chris Wilcox and 11 points from center Johan Petro. Guard Luke Ridnour added seven points and eight assists.