Rockets Beat Griz in Opener
HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Rockets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 82 to 71 Wednesday night inside Toyota Center in front of a 17th consecutive sell-out crowd.
The game was a lot closer than Rockets' fans may have hoped; but, the bottom line is the Rockets picked up the win and begin the season 1 and 0.
"It looked like it was the first game of the season," said Rockets guard Luther Head after the game. "We know we can't play like that to beat the really, really good teams. Not to say that Memphis is a bad team; but, we have to play better if we plan on doing what we all feel like we can do."
Ron Artest started the game with two consecutive steals. Artest scored a fast-break lay-up after the first steal; but, he was called for travelling after the second swipe.
Artest's defense set a tone for the Rockets; and, Tracy McGrady continued the mood with another steal seconds later.
The Rockets led 7 - 0 after McGrady drained a three-point shot at the 10:15 mark of the first quarter.
The Rockets led the Grizzlies (0 - 1) 26 to 18 at the end of the first period.
The Rockets shot 10 for 20 (50%) in the first period. Five of the ten made shots came off assists.
Houston's offense bogged down the rest of the game; and, the Rockets managed only six assists over the final three quarters.
"We started off fine," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "But, we got lulled into playing a very slow-paced game with not much activity. Offensively especially, we just had no activity; and, we have to play better ball than that."
The Grizzlies' rookie big men helped control the paint and the tempo of the ball game as both, Marc Gasol (12 points and 12 rebounds) and Darrell Arthur (11 points and 15 rebounds) recorded double-doubles in their NBA debuts.
Rudy Gay scored 20 points to lead the Grizzlies; however, he made just 9 of his 22 shot attempts. O.J. Mayo scored 10 points on just 5 of 20 shooting.
The Grizzlies out rebounded the Rockets 49 to 44. Both clubs scored 36 points in the paint.
The Rockets' offense bogged down in the second quarter. Houston shot 6 for 21 (28.6%) in the second quarter and 6 for 20 (30%) in the third quarter.
The poor shooting in those quarters helped the Grizzlies stay close in the ball game; and, in fact, the Griz took their first lead of the game (61 to 60) in the fourth quarter with 10:45 on the game clock. The lead went back and forth over the next three minutes; but, Artest made two free throws to give Houston the lead for good at 66 to 65 with 7:43 left in the ball game.
Yao Ming scored 21 points (6 for 14 from the field and 9 for 9 from the foul line) and grabbed 10 rebounds. Luis Scola also produced a double-double with 12 points and 13 boards. Artest and McGrady each scored 16 points.
With 57.1 seconds remaining in the game, Rafer Alston drained his only three-point shot of the game to ice the ball game and give the Rockets a 78 to 71 lead.
Alston added, "I knew the ball was going to come back out at some point, going through to Tracy, Ron or Yao down late. I knew they would come off of me. I just wanted to stay ready and stay on the shot."
The Grizzlies missed all 13 three-point shots they attempted tonight; and, the lack of perimeter shooting definitely hurt them tonight versus the Rockets.
"We got some good looks," said Grizzlies head coach Marc Iavoroni. " But, 0 and 13 is not going to be typical of what this team is capable of (shooting). If a couple of those threes went in, we could have had a chance to win."
The Rockets acknowledged the game was not pretty; but, a win is a win.
"We have to think about it this way," Yao Ming summarized. "A win is a win; and, now we're going to look for a second one. We know what we need to do better from this game."
Luis Scola added, "It was kind of an ungly game; but, we won and a win is a win. We struggled offensively in the second quarter. I feel like we've got a lot of work to do. We are not thre yet; but, that's a good thing because we're not supposed to be there now. We've got to keep working."
The Rockets don't have a long wait to get back to work. The Rockets face the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night in Dallas.
The game was a lot closer than Rockets' fans may have hoped; but, the bottom line is the Rockets picked up the win and begin the season 1 and 0.
"It looked like it was the first game of the season," said Rockets guard Luther Head after the game. "We know we can't play like that to beat the really, really good teams. Not to say that Memphis is a bad team; but, we have to play better if we plan on doing what we all feel like we can do."
Ron Artest started the game with two consecutive steals. Artest scored a fast-break lay-up after the first steal; but, he was called for travelling after the second swipe.
Artest's defense set a tone for the Rockets; and, Tracy McGrady continued the mood with another steal seconds later.
The Rockets led 7 - 0 after McGrady drained a three-point shot at the 10:15 mark of the first quarter.
The Rockets led the Grizzlies (0 - 1) 26 to 18 at the end of the first period.
The Rockets shot 10 for 20 (50%) in the first period. Five of the ten made shots came off assists.
Houston's offense bogged down the rest of the game; and, the Rockets managed only six assists over the final three quarters.
"We started off fine," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "But, we got lulled into playing a very slow-paced game with not much activity. Offensively especially, we just had no activity; and, we have to play better ball than that."
The Grizzlies' rookie big men helped control the paint and the tempo of the ball game as both, Marc Gasol (12 points and 12 rebounds) and Darrell Arthur (11 points and 15 rebounds) recorded double-doubles in their NBA debuts.
Rudy Gay scored 20 points to lead the Grizzlies; however, he made just 9 of his 22 shot attempts. O.J. Mayo scored 10 points on just 5 of 20 shooting.
The Grizzlies out rebounded the Rockets 49 to 44. Both clubs scored 36 points in the paint.
The Rockets' offense bogged down in the second quarter. Houston shot 6 for 21 (28.6%) in the second quarter and 6 for 20 (30%) in the third quarter.
The poor shooting in those quarters helped the Grizzlies stay close in the ball game; and, in fact, the Griz took their first lead of the game (61 to 60) in the fourth quarter with 10:45 on the game clock. The lead went back and forth over the next three minutes; but, Artest made two free throws to give Houston the lead for good at 66 to 65 with 7:43 left in the ball game.
Yao Ming scored 21 points (6 for 14 from the field and 9 for 9 from the foul line) and grabbed 10 rebounds. Luis Scola also produced a double-double with 12 points and 13 boards. Artest and McGrady each scored 16 points.
With 57.1 seconds remaining in the game, Rafer Alston drained his only three-point shot of the game to ice the ball game and give the Rockets a 78 to 71 lead.
Alston added, "I knew the ball was going to come back out at some point, going through to Tracy, Ron or Yao down late. I knew they would come off of me. I just wanted to stay ready and stay on the shot."
The Grizzlies missed all 13 three-point shots they attempted tonight; and, the lack of perimeter shooting definitely hurt them tonight versus the Rockets.
"We got some good looks," said Grizzlies head coach Marc Iavoroni. " But, 0 and 13 is not going to be typical of what this team is capable of (shooting). If a couple of those threes went in, we could have had a chance to win."
The Rockets acknowledged the game was not pretty; but, a win is a win.
"We have to think about it this way," Yao Ming summarized. "A win is a win; and, now we're going to look for a second one. We know what we need to do better from this game."
Luis Scola added, "It was kind of an ungly game; but, we won and a win is a win. We struggled offensively in the second quarter. I feel like we've got a lot of work to do. We are not thre yet; but, that's a good thing because we're not supposed to be there now. We've got to keep working."
The Rockets don't have a long wait to get back to work. The Rockets face the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night in Dallas.
posted by Kris Gardner @ 10:31 PM
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