Rockets sign Harris for Season

I was told this news yesterday during the NCAA Men's Regional; and, here is the official word from the Rockets:

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed forward Mike Harris for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. As per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. Harris originally signed a 10-day contract with the Rockets on March 8 and was re-signed to a second 10-day contract on March 18. In eight games with the Rockets, Harris has averaged 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds.

Harris (6-6, 240, Rice), who signed with the Rockets as a rookie free agent on July 13, 2007, averaged 5.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while playing in Houston's first two preseason games this season. Released by the Rockets on Oct. 22, Harris averaged 24.3 points and 11.6 rebounds in just 28 minutes per game in 25 outings with DongGuan (2007-08) of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Harris' season highs in the CBA included a 46-point, 26-rebound game. The former standout at Rice University also averaged 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds in five games with Houston in the 2007 NBA Summer League presented by adidas.

Rockets Beat T-wolves by 11

Despite a grimacing due to a sore left shoulder, Tracy McGrady scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Houston Rockets to a 97 to 86 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"My shoulder bothered me a little bit," McGrady said. "I got a shot before the game. In the second half, I didn't feel it as much as I did the first half; so, I was fine the second half."

McGrady just missed a triple-double with 11 rebounds and nine assists.

Luis Scola scored 18 points and pulled down a career high 18 rebounds for the Rockets (49-23).

The Rockets dominated the rebounding battle as they outrebounded Minnesota 58 to 38.

Both teams struggled shooting the ball at the start of the game. The Timberwolves (18-52) missed four straight shots while the Rockets made just one of their first five shots. However, each team improved their shooting the rest of the period as Minnesota shot 10 for 17 the rest of the quarter and the Rockets shot 10 for 19.

"It was a tough game," said Rick Adelman. "Tracy came up big in the second half and Luis was great the whole game. Eighteen and eighteen."

The Rockets led 24 to 23 at the end of the first quarter. Rafer Alston scored 10 points in the period.

After Minnesota's Marko Jaric tied the game at 28 with a three-point basket early in the second quarter, the Rockets never trailed the rest of the ball game.

Nine players scored in the first half for the Rockets and the team led 46 to 42 at halftime. Alston's 10 first-quarter points still led the Rockets.

Former Rockets guard / forward Kirk Snyder scored nine points; grabbed five rebounds; and dished four assists in the first half.

McGrady scored seven points in the third quarter (2 for 7 from the field). Scola added seven points and five boards in the period. Scola keyed a 7-0 run with five points to help push the Rockets lead to 10 points (60 to 50) with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter.

The Rockets led 69 to 60 at the end of the third period.

The T-wolves trimmed the lead to two (72 - 70) with eight points from guard Rashad McCants.

McGrady went to work over the next three minutes and 35 seconds. T-Mac scored 10 points and picked up an assist to Bobby Jackson (for a lay-up) during a decisive 14 to 4 Rockets run to put the game away. The Timberwolves would get no closer than seven points (93 to 86) the rest of the game.

McGrady shot 2 for 8 in the first half 5 for 10 in the final period and 9 for 25 overall.

"I've been struggling with my shots in the first half," McGrady said. "Maybe I need to focus like I do in the fourth quarter. I just came seem to find the rhythm; but, the fourth quarter is usually when the best player has to step up and lead the team. I couldn't afford for us to lose this game; so, I had to impose my will on the game."

"It was definitely a lot tougher than we wanted;" Adelman said. "But, you have to give Minnesota credit -- they kept hanging in there."

The Rockets have the next three days before beginning a five-game road trip Sunday afternoon versus the San Antonio Spurs.

"It gives us a chance to kind of regroup before we go on the road," Adelman added. "We're going to be on the road eight days and five games; so, I think it's going to help us a lot. We'll be able to cover some things in practice and take tomorrow off and Friday and Saturday have a chance to go through some things and prepare for that trip. I think it is going to help us get refreshed."

Rockets Hold off Kings 108-100

The Houston Rockets took care of business Monday night and defeated the Sacramento Kings 108 to 100. The win gives Rockets head coach Rick Adelman his 800th career NBA victory.

"It's unbelievable," said Tracy McGrady. "It's a great accomplishment and it is an honor to be a part of it. I tip my hat to him to because that's a lot of wins in this league. Congratulations, Coach."

"It feels like 800," said Adelman. "I know that when you hit something like that you really think about all the good things that happen to you. Like I said, 'I got two great situations before this and now this team.' So, I have been really fortunate to have three different teams that are very, very good and that's why you get wins like that."

The Rockets (48-23) led the Kings (31-39) by as many as 11 points (74 to 63) in the ball game; but, to their credit, the Kings kept coming back in the ball game.

Rafer Alston led all scorers with 28 points. After tweaking his left ankle early in the game, Tracy McGrady struggled shooting the ball; however, McGrady scored eight points in the fourth quarter on 3 for 4 shooting to help the Rockets pick up the victory. McGrady finished the game 5 for 16 from the field.

Kevin Martin led the Kings with 18 points while Ron Artest and Francisco Garcia each scored 17 points. Garcia's 17 points helped the Kings' bench outscore the Rockets 49 to 31.

Though both teams scored 40 points in the paint, it seemed the Kings scored more than the Rockets because of the lay-up drill the Rockets defense allowed. The Kings scored on 17 lay-ups or dunks -- seven came in the fourth quarter.

"We were lax in our help side defense tonight; and, the Kings had a lot of opportunities at the rim and that spells trouble for us. We can't afford to let teams get to the rim against us. We needed to keep them on the perimeter and make them take contested two point shots. We were a little out of sync; but, it will be good to go to practice tomorrow and iron those things out."

After Artest scored a lay-up to cut the Rockets lead to two points (91 to 89), Rockets forward Carl Landry scored a lay-up on an assist from McGrady and Rafer Alston drained two free throws and knocked down a 9-foot jumper to put the Rockets ahead 97 to 89 with 2:38 left in the ball game.

The Kings made one final push with an 11 to 7 run to trim the Rockets lead to 104 to 100 with 40.8 seconds remaining; but, Alston and Shane Battier made four threes for the final score.

Battier scored 15 points tonight for his fourth straight game in double-figure scoring. In addition to playing very good defense on Ron Artest, Chuck Hayes recorded a season-high 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists tonight.

The Rockets attempted a season-high 42 free throws and made a season high 33 as well. The Rockets also out rebounded the Kings 39 to 29.

The Kings shot 51.9% (40 for 77) from the field and dished out 25 assists on the 40 made shots.

"It was a needed win for us," Adelman added. "A very dangerous team we played. They are very good offensively when they get everyone going. Artest, Martin and Brad (Miller) and all those guys, they're a very dangerous offensive team. They just shot it so well; but, our guys persevered. Tracy came up big for us in the fourth quarter for us. Rafer was good all night. He was good all night long."

Kings at Rockets, 3/24/08

The Rockets (47-23) return from a 1-2 road trip and face the Sacramento Kings Monday (31-38) night in H-town.

Rockets' head coach Rick Adelman has 799 coaching victories. He could record win No. 800 vs. his former team tonight. Adelman coached the Kings to a franchise-record 359 wins (1998-2006). Adelman (799-513, .614), the sixth-winningest active coach (behind Don Nelson, Pat Riley, Jerry Sloan, Phil Jackson and George Karl) is looking to become only the 13th coach in NBA history to win 800 games.

Here's another tidbit:
Adelman, who is on pace for his 10th 50-win season as a head coach, oversees a Rockets roster that contains six players with D-League experience, the second-most D-League-laden roster in the league. The six Rockets with D-League experience are: Rafer Alston, Aaron Brooks, Mike Harris, Chuck Hayes, Steve Novak and Loren Woods. The Miami Heat has eight players with D-League experience.


Simply the Best

Since the start of 2008, the top five records in the league belong to:
Houston (32-7, .821)
Utah (29-9, .763)
New Orleans (27-10, .730)
Boston (29-11, .725)
L.A. Lakers (29-11, .725)


Since the All-Star break, the league's five best teams are:
Houston (15-3, .833)
Boston (14-5, .737)
L.A. Lakers (13-5, .722)
Orlando (13-5, .722)
Philadelphia (12-5, .706)

Rockets top Warriors in Thriller

The Houston Rockets snapped a two-game losing streak Friday night by defeating the Golden State Warriors 109 to 106 in Oakland, CA, in front of 19,824 fans. The game was tied 20 times and featured 34 lead changes.

Tracy McGrady led the Rockets (47 - 22) with 26 points.

Rockets' rookie forward Carl Landry returned from a six game absence (injured right knee) and made his presence felt with 17 points and eight rebounds. Landry scored 11 points in the exciting fourth quarter.

Landy and Bobby Jackson (16 points) combined to score 33 points off the Rockets' bench to outscore the Warriors' reserves 33 to 6.

Shane Battier scored 17 points; Rafer Alston scored 13 points; and, Luther Head added 11 points.

Golden State (41 - 26) led the Rockets 29 to 26 at the end of the first quarter; but, the Rockets outscored the Warriors 26 to 21 in the second period to lead 52 to 50 at the half.

The third quarter was tight and both teams scored 23 points in the stanza.

The fourth quarter was filled with spectacular shot making and back and forth action.

With five minutes remaining in the game, Bobby Jackson double-pumped and rattled in a three-point shot to put the Rockets up by five points; but, the Warriors would not go away.

McGrady drove and dished to a cutting Landry for a two-handed dunk to put the Rockets up by eight points; however, after a Warriors' time-out, Baron Davis led the Warriors back as his team responded with seven points in the blink of an eye to pull within one.

Davis led all scorers with 27 points. Monta Ellis scored 24. Al Harrington scored 18 points and snared 14 rebounds. Mikael Pietrus scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Steven Jackson added 15 points.

Leading by three points; Carl Landry rebounded a Warriors miss; was fouled; and split two free throws to put the Rockets ahead 107 - 103 with 12 seconds remaining. Davis drained a three-point shot; then, Rafer Alston was fouled with seconds to go in the game. Alston made both free throws to put the Rockets ahead by three points.

The Warriors did not get any closer as the Rockets escaped with the 109 - 106 win.

The Rockets travel to Phoenix Saturday night to face the Suns at 9pm and close out this three-game road trip.

Penders and Maggard Donate Two Grand

I have been very critical of head coach Tom Penders this season for not getting his Houston Cougars to the 2008 NCAA Tournament; and, yes, I've gone so far to say I'd like UH AD, Dave Maggard, to fire Penders for this season's failure.

However, though I've been critical of both men, I'll will acknowledge both men for putting their money where there mouths are.

Penders and Maggard committed Friday to donating $1,000 each for 200 student tickets and 200 tickets to be distributed to UH faculty and staff members for the Cougars' match-up against Valparaiso during the quarterfinals of the 2008 College Basketball Invitational on Monday.

The Cougars play host to Valparaiso at 8 p.m., Monday at Hofheinz Pavilion with a berth to the CBI semifinals on the line.

The first 100 UH faculty or staff members with a valid ID who visit the Athletics Ticket Office during regular business hours on Monday will receive two free tickets.

The student tickets will be given to the first 200 students with a valid ID that enter the Cullen Street entrance of Hofheinz Pavilion without a ticket.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Rockets sign Loren Woods

Though a few fans wanted the Rockets to sign veteran big man Dale Davis, the Rockets chose to go in a different direction...

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed center Loren Woods to a 10-day contract.

Woods (7-2, 260, Arizona) has averaged 2.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 208 games (47 starts) with Minnesota, Miami and Toronto. Internationally, Woods won the 2006-07 Lithuanian National Championship with BC Zalgiris Kaunas and has been playing this season with Efes Pilsen Istanbul in Euroleague. Woods was named the 2007-08 Euroleague Week 11 MVP, pacing Efes Pilsen with 16 points and 18 rebounds in a 91-84 overtime win against Le Mans. His 18 boards (10 offensive) stood as the second highest total in Euroleague history.

Woods signed on with the Sacramento Kings on Aug.15, 2006, but was waived prior to the regular season. He later joined the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League in 2006-07, averaging 11.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.00 blocks in 15 games with the Toros. He also participated in the 2007 Gillette D-League All-Star Game.

Hornets Roll Past Rockets

For the second straight game, the Houston Rockets played awful basketball in the second half of a game. Tuesday night versus the Boston Celtics, the Houston Rockets were outscored 54 to 34 in the second half of a 94 to 74 loss to the Celtics. Wednesday night, the Rockets scored only 25 points in the second half in a 90 to 69 loss to the New Orleans Hornets in NOLA. The game was tied at 59 at the end of three quarters; but, the Hornets simply raced past the Rockets in the final quarter and outscored the Rockets 31 to 10.

Former Rockets player, Bonzi Wells, lit up his former teammates with 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Hornets (46-21) move into sole possession of first place in the Southwest Division and a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference. With the loss, the Rockets (46-22) fall out of the top spot and into third place in the conference and second place in the division.

The Rockets led 24 to 16 after the first quarter; but, the team scored just 45 points over the final 36 minutes of the game.

Tracy McGrady led the Rockets with 15 points; but, McGrady missed 15 of his 21 shot attempts. Luis Scola and Shane Battier each scored 14 points while Rafer Alston and Dikembe Mutombo chipped in 10 points a piece.

The Rockets' bench scored a miserly six points in the ball game on 2 for 13 field goal shooting. Luther Head only saw action in the final 2:09 of the fourth quarter.

Wells' 25 points led the Hornets. David West scored 23 points (6 for 18 from the field and 11 for 13 from the foul line). Chris Paul added 21 points and 10 assists.

The Rockets shot 34.1% (28 for 81) from the field overall including a woeful 2 for 19 (10.5%) from the three point line. The Rockets also turned the ball over 18 times. Houston's low total of 11 assists is also a solid indicator of, not only the team's inability to make shots, but the lack of ball movement as well.

The Rockets will continue their three-game road trip with a Friday night game in the Bay area versus the Golden State Warriors. Tip is set for 9:30pm.

Rockets at Hornets tonight

The Houston Rockets (46-21) will try to start a new winning streak tonight versus the New Orleans Hornets (45-21).

These two teams do not like each other. Hornets guard Chris Paul doesn't like Rafer Alston's attitude and the feeling is mutual. Hornets big Tyson Chandler isn't a fan of Alston's either.

Therefore, in addition to the game having playoff implications, the disdain between the two teams merely adds to the interest.

The Rockets defeated the Hornets 106 to 96 in Houston a few weeks ago on March 8. Tracy McGrady scored 41 points in the game and the Rockets also drained nine three-pointers in the second quarter en route to a total of 14 made threes for the entire game.

Alston scored 20 points in the last match-up while Chris Paul scored 37 points and dished out 11 assists.

The Rockets still hold an active run of 12 consecutive wins away from Toyota Center (1/4/08-3/12/08), which stands as the longest road winning streak in team history.

Tip is set for 7pm CDT.

Boston 94, Rockets 74

All good things must come to an end; and, Tuesday night the Boston Celtics (54-13) ended the Houston Rockets' spectacular 22-game winning streak with a 94 to 74 victory in front of 18,525 screaming fans.

With the loss, Rockets (46-21) are once again tied with the LA Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference.

The game started with Rockets' guard Rafer Alston and Celtics guard Rajon Rondo exchanging a few "kind words" and each receiving a technical foul.

After three quick ties, Boston scored seven straight points to lead 13 to 6; however, Tracy McGrady (4 points) and Shane Battier (3 points) helped tie the game at 13. The rest of the quarter was close; but, with Boston leading 21 to 20, Alston stole the ball from Celtics guard Sam Cassell at mid-court and dribbled the ball up the floor and scored a lay-up to give the Rockets a 22 to 21 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Rockets' bench, led by six points by forward Mike Harris , took a seven point (30 to 23) three minutes into the second quarter.

Bobby Jackson knocked down a 14-foot jump shot to put the Rockets up by eight points (34 to 26) with 6:34 left in the first half.

Boston's Paul Pierce banked in a three-point shot to cap a 14 to 6 Celtics' run to tie the game at 40 at halftime. Boston's Leon Powe scored 13 points off the bench to lead all scorers in the first half.

Kevin Garnett hit a 22-foot jumper to open up the third quarter and the Celtics never trailed the rest of the game.

Rondo scored six points and Garnett added four points during a 18 to 7 run by the Cs to give Boston a 60 to 47 lead with 5:24 remaining in the third quarter. The Rockets trimmed Boston's lead to 10 points three times the rest of the quarter; however, Boston ended the quarter with an 8 to 2 to take a 72 to 56 lead into the fourth quarter. Boston shot 52.2% (12 for 23) in the quarter while the Rockets made just 7 of their 16 shots and turned the ball over six times.

The Rockets' offense continued to struggle in the fourth quarter and Boston took full advantage. Boston led by as much as 27 points in the quarter. Houston made just 4 of 17 shots in the final period.

Garnett finished the game with a game-high 22 points. Powe scored 21 and Pierce added 20 points.

Luis Scola led the Rockets with 15 points. Alston and Harris each scored 12 points. Aaron Brooks scored 10 points in just four minutes and 33 seconds.

Tracy McGrady scored only eight points on 4 for 11 shooting. McGrady did pull down seven rebounds and dish out eight assists.

The Celtics out-rebounded the Rockets 45 to 35 including 15 to 11 on the offensive glass; and outscored the Rockets 52 to 34 in the paint.

The Rockets 34 second-half points were a season low.

The Rockets start a three game road trip in New Orleans Wednesday night versus the Hornets (45-21).

Celtics at Rockets tonight

The Boston Celtics (53-13) will try to snap the Houston Rockets (46-20) 22-game winning streak tonight at 8:30.

Boston defeated the San Antonio Spurs last night; so, you assume the Rockets have an edge because the C's played the previous night.

Not, so fast. Boston is 13 and 2 on the second game of back-t0-back games this season.

The Rockets are clicking on all cylinders; and, Rafer Alston is averaging 15.7 points and 6.6 assists over the Rockets' current winning streak. Alston scored a career-high 31 points this past Sunday versus the LA Lakers.

Tonight's game is the second time the two teams will play in the regular season. Boston edged the Rockets earlier this season 97 to 93 in Boston on January 2, 2008. Tracy McGrady missed the game due to his injured left knee.

Rockets make it 22 Straight

So much for the Los Angeles Lakers ending the Houston Rockets winning streak.

The Rockets (46-20) topped the Lakers 104 to 92 to make the Lakers (45-21) victim number 22 in this amazing winning streak.

The Rockets are now the number one team in the Western Conference.

Rafer Alston led all scorers with a career-high 31 points. Bobby Jackson scored 19 points. That's 50 points from Houston's so called "point guards".

"Rafer Alston....31 points....says alot and everyone else contributed and that makes it tough," said Lakers forward Lamar Odom. "They made a run and we couldn't control them."

The Lakers had no answer for Alston and Jackson throughout the game.

"Bobby Jackson was a great addition for them," Kobe Bryant said after the game. "He came in tonight and had 19 points off the bench, he hurt us. It was a great acquisition, bench players that come in for them, Luther Head played well, and their bench is their key to this long streak."

The first quarter was close as the lead changed twice and was tied twice. The Rockets enjoyed the largest lead of the period with a six point lead (16 to 10). The Rockets led 24 to 23 at the end of the period.

Then, with Tracy McGrady sitting on the bench, the Rockets' reserves owned the second quarter. Jackson scored nine points; Mike Harris added six points; and Luther Head scored seven. Those 22 points helped the Rockets outscore the Lakers 35 to 21 in the quarter and lead 59 to 44 at the half.

Tracy McGrady did not a single point in the half; but, the Rockets still led by 15 points.

The Rockets shot 19 for 39 (48.7%) in the half while limiting the Lakers to 17 for 40 (42.5%).

The Rockets' offense went south in the third quarter as the team missed 11 straight shots to open the period. The Lakers took advantage of the Rockets' drought and scored 12 straight points before Alston drained a three-point shot to put the Rockets ahead 62 to 56. The Lakers kept the game close the rest of the third period before Alston, once again, drained a three-pointer to put the Rockets ahead 71 to 66 heading to the fourth quarter.

"He was terrific. He hit every 3," said Rick Adelman of Rafer Alston. "The shot that he hit in the 3rd quarter was huge. That 3 put us up 5 or 6. That was a big momentum turn, but he was good the whole game."

The game was nip and tuck for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter; and, with a two point lead (86-84), Shane Battier converted a driving lay-up to kick start a 17 to 4 run to put the Rockets ahead 103 to 88 with only 1:32 left in the ball game.

"This is the NBA so we know that teams are going to make a run," said Bobby Jackson. "We started that 3rd quarter without a basket for 6 minutes and that is not typical of us, but you're going to go through some droughts.We didn't get down, we stayed composed and we continued to stay within our game. We toughed it out and made things happen at the end."

The Rockets go for win number 23 in a row when they host the Boston Celtics Tuesday, March 18. Tip-off is set for 8:30pm.

Rockets host Lakers

Get ready, Rockets fans! Get ready, Lakers fans!

Tip off is almost here -- ABC.

Houston Rockets (45-20) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (45-20) March 16, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. (CDT)

In the first of three meetings with the Lakers this season, Shane Battier took a pass from Tracy McGrady and nailed a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds to play in a 95-93 win at the L.A. Lakers (10/30/07) to open the 2007-08 campaign. Houston erased an 18-point, first-half deficit by limiting the Lakers to 32 second-half points to climb back into the game vs. Los Angeles (11/14/07), but dropped a 93-90 decision to the Lakers.

Inactive List:
Houston -- Steve Francis, Carl Landry and Yao Ming.
Los Angeles -- Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm. Though he's not on the Inactive List, Pau Gasol (sprained left ankle) is out today as well as the next two games (at least).

Rockets' Streak Hits 21

The Houston Rockets defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 89 to 80 Friday night in front of a sold-out Toyota Center. The win is Houston's 21st straight victory and the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.

Tracy McGrady played all 48 minutes and scored a game-high 30 points (12 for 25 from the field).

Rafer Alston added 17 points. Luis Scola added 13 points while Shane Battier and forward Mike Harris scored 12 points each. Harris scored 10 points in the decisive fourth quarter.

The Rockets began the game well and led by as many as nine points (17 to 8) in the first period. After leading 18 to 12, the Rockets went into a scoreless drought seven minutes and 41 seconds. The Rockets missed 11 straight field goals. McGrady ended the drought with an alley-oop dunk. During the drought, Charlotte (24 - 41) went on a 17 to 0 run. The Bobcats extended the run to 21 to 2 and led 33 to 20 with 7:02 left in the second period.

To their credit, the Rockets ended the quarter with a 16 to 10 burst to trail by just seven (43 to 36) at halftime. Houston made just 15 of 44 (34.1%) from the field in the first half.

Luis Scola's defense sparked the Rockets in the third quarter. Scola stripped the ball from Bobcats' guard Raymond Felton at halfcourt and picked up the ball; dribbled up the court; scored a lay-up and picked up a foul on Felton for an 'And-1'. Scola made the free throw. Scola scored nine points in the third quarter to help the Rockets to a 62 to 54 lead with 3:55 left in the third stanza.

"We started (the game) playing bad and they were playing really hard" Scoa said. "We struggled a little bit at the beginning with our offense, but we stayed with it, we kept fighting and we kept playing hard. We know there are going to be nights like this where you don't hit any of those shots. We just have to fight and play defense and believe, which we did."

The Bobcats finished the quarter with an 8 to 2 run to trim the Rockets lead to just two points (64 to 62) heading to the fourth period.

Mike Harris keyed a 13 to 2 Rockets run to start the fourth period. Harris scored eight points during the run -- four on assists from Tracy McGrady.

The Rockets led 85 to 71 before the Bobcats trimmed the lead to nine points with 2:57 left in the game. With less than one minute remaining in the game, Dikembe Mutombo blocked two dunk attempts by Bobcats' forward Emeka Okafor which sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"This was a game where this team really tested our will," said Tracy McGrady. "This was a great test for us to see how mentally strong we really are. They (Charlotte) brought their "A" game, they played well, they executed their offense, they were running out on us.We didn't make shots in the 1st half, but I think in the 2nd half, we really came out focused, we knocked down some shots, we tightened up on the defensive end and we got ourselves going. Once we got into it, we didn't look back. That team (Charlotte) fought hard and even when we led by like 13, they would cut it to 8."

Win number 21 in a row was in the books.

The Rockets (45 - 20) are now tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference. The two teams square off Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm. The game will be shown on ABC.

Bobcats at Rockets, 3/14/08

The Houston Rockets (44 - 20) try for win number 21 in a row tonight versus the Charlotte Bobcats (24 - 40) which would trail only the 33-game winning streak of the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers.

The Rockets won the earlier regular season match up 85 to 82 in Charlotte (Nov. 11,2007). Houston holds a 4-3 lead in the all-time series with Charlotte. The Rockets are 2-1 at home against the Bobcats and 2-2 on the road.

The Rockets presently sit atop the Southwest Division with the San Antonio Spurs at 44-20. The last time Houston had a share of first place after playing at least 50 games was at the finish of the 1993-94 season.

This past Wednesday, Houston became just the third team in NBA history to win 20 straight with an 83-75 victory at Atlanta. The Rockets overcame their largest deficit during the streak (minus 10, 14-4 at 7:03 of first quarter), its worst shooting game (.333, 30-90 FG) and half of the season (.279, 12-43 FG in first), as well as a season-low 13 assists to join the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers (33 straight) and 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (20 straight) in the record books.

Rockets Spirit Day

In addition to March 14, 2008, being my 36th birthday, tomorrow has been declared "Rockets' Spirit Day" in the city of Houston.

Mayor Bill White has declared Friday, March 14, as Houston Rockets Spirit Day, and encourages all Houstonians to wear their “rowdy” red in support of the home team, which is on a remarkable 20-game NBA winning streak.

“The team is playing great ball, despite some adversity, and watching them has been both exciting and inspiring,” said the mayor. “ We’ve been enjoying the ride by the Rockets’ red glare and we all want to be behind the team and wish them well as they go into a big basketball weekend and push into the playoffs in a dramatic way.”

20 Straight wins for Rockets

The win wasn't pretty; but, the bottom line is the Houston Rockets topped the Atlanta Hawks 83 to 75 tonight in the ATL. The win means the Rockets continue their spectacular winning ways with win number 20 tonight which ties the Rockets for the second longest win streak in NBA history (w/ the 1970 - 1971 Milwaukee Bucks).

With this win combined with the San Antonio Spurs loss to the New Orleans Hornets, the Rockets now own the second-best record in the Western Conference and the top spot in the Southwest Division.

Neither team shot well in the game. The Rockets shot 33.3% (30 for 90) while the Hawks shot 33.8% (27 for 80) from the field.

The Rockets trailed Atlanta 33 to 32 at halftime.

Houston outscored the Hawks 27 to 24 in the third quarter and 24 to 18 in the fourth period.

Rockets forward Tracy McGrady scored 28 points with 21 coming in the second half. The Rockets bench outscored the Hawks' bench 23 to 4.

Joe Johnson scored 28 points to lead the Hawks. Josh Smith finished the game with 16 points and a game-high 22 rebounds.

Houston's Shane Battier was the only other Rockets player to score in double figures with 15. Luis Scola and Chuck Hayes each grabbed 12 rebounds.

The game was close through much of the game (14 lead changes and 13 ties) until the Rockets -- led by T-Mac -- pulled away late in the fourth quarter.

Time Change for Rockets-Lakers

From the NBA:

The L.A.Lakers at Houston game time is changed to 2:30 PM CDT and will now be televised by ABC and broadcast on ESPN Radio, the game will no longer be televised on NBATV.

Also, for the second time in five days, the start time for the New Orleans Hornets at Detroit Pistons game has been changed. This time the start time has changed from 2:30pm to noon. The game will still be shown on ABC and broadcast on ESPN Radio.

Rockets FSN Rating best since 1999

Winning does indeed have it's privileges.

FSN Houston announced this news this morning:

The Houston Rockets continue to dominate on the court and in the Nielsen television ratings. The team’s 19th consecutive victory Monday (March 10) against the New Jersey Nets produced a 7.1 Nielsen household rating, the highest rating for a Rockets regular-season game on FSN Houston since a 7.5 on March 22, 1999.

The telecast easily won the 9:00 hour in Houston with an 8.4 rating, finishing ahead of KHOU-CBS’s CSI: Miami (6.9), KPRC-NBC’s Medium (4.8), KRIV’s FOX News at 9 (4.4), and KTRK-ABC’s October Road (3.9). Overall, the game tied for No. 3 in the market in primetime.

An average of 146,400 households in Houston watched the Rockets match the third-longest winning streak in NBA history. The final hour from 9:00-10:00 PM CT attracted the game’s largest viewership with an average of 172,000 households. The rating peaked at 8.9 (182,300 HH) from 9:00-9:15 PM CT.

If the streak is still alive, I wonder what the numbers will be like when the Boston Celtics come to town next Tuesday?

Who's Next? Rockets 91, Nets 73

The Houston Rockets are on such a huge roll they blew out the New Jersey Nets by 18 points, 91 to 73, and didn't play very well.

"Defense wins ball games and that's what we're great at," Tracy McGrady said after the game. "We didn't shoot the ball particularly well tonight; and our defense bailed us out. If we continue to D up like that, we'll be a tough team. We'll always win ball games if we have great defense."

This win extends the Rockets' roll to a franchise-record 19th straight. The win is the 10th straight by double-digits which ties the 2003-2004 Nets and the 1946-1947 Washington Capitols. Houston is now tied with the 1999-2000 L.A. Lakers for the third longest stretch in NBA history.

Despite making just 8 of 21 shots in the first quarter, the Rockets (43-20) led the awful Nets 22 to 15. The Rockets' offense improved in the second period with 24 points while the Nets continued to build town homes with all of their bricks and scored just 13 points in the second quarter.

The Nets (26-38) shots 20.9% (9 for 43) in the first half -- which is a season-low for a Rockets' opponent.

The Nets scored a whopping 19 points in the third quarter; but, the Rockets scored 24 and led 70 to 47 at the end of the third stanza.

The Nets showed some signs of life in the fourth period outscoring the Rockets 26 to 21; but, the game was well in hand.

Tracy McGrady led all scorers with 19 points (6 fo 14 from the field). Luis Scola and Rafer Alston added 12 points. Steve Novak scored a career-high 11 points.

Dikembe Mutombo blocked a season-high five shots.

Vince Carter's 13 points led the Nets. Richard Jefferson scored 12 points and Devin Harris added 10 points. The Nets shot an opponents' low 30.4% (24 for 79) from the field.

"Heck of a defensive effort by our guys," said Rick Adelman. "First half we were terrific."

"You've got to give them a lot of credit; and, there is no secret that it starts with their defense," said Lawrence Frank, New Jersey Nets head coach. "You've got to give Coach Adelman, his staff and all his players a lot of credit for what they have accomplished."

The Rockets shot 50% (13 for 26) from the free throw line and 45.9% (34 for 74) from the field and 50% (10 for 20) from the three-point line.

"We keep adding on the games," said Rafer Alston. "It's fantastic to have your team mentioned with some of the best teams and some of the best players to have ever played the game. It says a lot about our ball club."

The Rockets head to Atlanta for a quick one game trip against the Hawks on Wednesday.

Nets at Rockets

The Houston Rockets will attempt to become only the fourth team to win at least 19 consecutive games tonight when they host the New Jersey Nets. The Rockets won their franchise-best 18th straight game with a 106-96 victory over the New Orleans Hornets Saturday.

The Rockets have won nine straight games by 10 or more points and can tie the record for most consecutive games (10) won by double digits, which is shared by the New Jersey Nets (2003-04) and the Washington Bullets (1946-47).

T-Mac and J-Rich Earn Honors

The Charlotte Bobcats' Jason Richardson and the Houston Rockets' Tracy McGrady today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 3 through Sunday, March 9.

During a 4-0 week for the Bobcats, Richardson averaged 28.5 points, 3.0 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals, leading the Bobcats to their first five-game winning streak in franchise history.

McGrady led the Rockets to a 3-0 week, averaging 32.3 points, 7.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds. McGrady recorded his fourth 40-point game this season after scoring 41 in a 106-96 win over the New Orleans Hornets on March 8 to lift the Rockets to their 18th consecutive win, the fourth-longest streak in league history.

Rockets Win 18th Straight

The beat goes on. The beat goes on.

The Houston Rockets defeated the New Orleans Hornets 106 to 96 Saturday night to extend their franchise record of consecutive victories to 18. The ten point win is also the ninth straight double-digit victory for the red-hot Rockets.

With the win, the Rockets tie the Hornets with 42-20 records; but, since the Rockets own a 2 to 1 advantage in head-to-head match-ups this season, the Rockets move up to the third spot in the Western Conference for the playoffs.

Tracy McGrady played the entire game; and, he was sensational. T-Mac scored a game-high 41 points (17 for 27 from the field); dished out nine assists; and six rebounds.

"I understood how big this game was," said T-Mac after the game. He (Coach Adelman) told us at the end of shoot-around that if we were to win this game, it would move us to the 3rd spot and I told him that there was extra motivation right there. I was just ready to go."

Rafer Alston added 20 points.

Hornets' guard Chris Paul scored 37 points and dished out 11 assists.

New Orleans led Houston 23 to 20 at the end of the first quarter; and, then, the fireworks begin in the second stanza.

The Hornets made eight field goals in the second period and seven of them were three-pointers (7 for 12).

The Rockets were even hotter from the Land of Three. The Rockets banged in nine three pointers in the quarter on 13 attempts. McGrady, Alston, Steve Novak and Luther Head each made two three-point shots in the period. Shane Battier added the other three-point bucket.

The Rockets (9-17 3FG) and Hornets (9-15 3FG) combined for 18 3-pointers in the first half of the game, including 16-of-25 combined in the second quarter. Houston 's nine (9-13 3FG) threes from downtown in the second stanza were just two makes off the NBA record of 11 set by Milwaukee vs. Phoenix on March 28, 2006).

The Rockets shot 23 for 42 (54.8%) from the field in the first half. McGrady scored 22 first half points for back-to-back 20-point opening halves.

After the end of the 39 point second quarter, the Rockets led 59 to 46. Despite 27 second-half points from Chris Paul, New Orleans could only get as close as five points (77 to 72 with 1:43 left in the third) in the second half.

"We had Tracy McGrady and it didn't matter what they did," said Rafer Alston. "When they tried doubling him, we were knocking down 3s and if they tried single coverage, then that's a no-no. 41 points tonight for the big fella."

Chuck Hayes led the Rockets in rebounds (9) and steals (3) in tonight's game. Hayes played 29 minutes tonight due to his effectiveness defending Hornets' center Tyson Chandler; and, because Rockets rookie Carl Landry sat out the game due to swelling in his knee.

"Tracy McGrady was just unbelievable! I'm a fan of the way their team is playing," said Chris Paul. "Even though they have won 18 games in a row, they are still playing with a chip on their shoulder. Chuck Hayes did an outstanding job rebounding inside."

The beat goes on for the Houston Rockets.

Rockets vs. Hornets tonight

In just a few minutes, the Houston Rockets go for win number 18 in a row. The Rockets (41-20) will play the New Orleans Hornets (42-19).

A few quick notes:

Rockets forward Carl Landry will not play tonight due to swelling in his knee. He's expected to miss a couple of games.

The Rockets signed forward Mike Harris to a 10-day contract; and, waived guard / forward Gerald Green.

Earlier today, the Rockets signed center Justin Williams to a 10-day contract. Williams takes the roster spot which was created after the previous 10-day contract of guard / forward Bobby Jones expired Friday.

Time for tip-off.

Francis to Award Five Scholarships

In addition to all the love the Rockets are rightfully receiving from the media for their 17-game winning streak, Steve Francis deserves some recognition.

"Steve Francis Will Award Five $10,000 College Scholarships"

Tomorrow, Steve will release the 2008 Brenda Wilson Scholarship Applications to high school seniors from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston.

The Scholarships are awarded in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston to high school seniors who have demonstrated leadership, character, community involvement and academic commitment. Since 2004, The Steve Francis Foundation has awarded twenty (20) Brenda Wilson Scholarships.

The Brenda Wilson Scholarship Program was created in 2004 in honor of Steve Francis' mother.

Rockets Win Sweet Number 16

The Houston Rockets set a franchise record with their 16th straight victory tonight. The Rockets (40-20) blasted the Indiana Pacers 117 to 99.

"It's history," said Tracy McGrady. "We're going to be in the books for a long, long time. It was a short term goal that we had that we wanted to accomplish and we got it done tonight but it doesn't stop there."

The Pacers (24-37) began the game with Jeff Foster at center; but, 40 seconds into the game, Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien substituted guard Kareem Rush and the Pacers went small moving forward Troy Murphy to the center spot.

The Pacers' quickness made Dikembe Mutombo a non-factor; and, Rick Adelman quickly subbed Luther Head for Mutombo.

"Indiana came out and played really well in the first quarter," said Shane Battier. "It took us a while to figure out their schemes and figure everything out but it was a good win. They're a tough team to defend. It is a little unconventional."

Indiana led 17 to 13 before Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston took control. T-Mac (11) and Alston (10) combined for 21 first-quarter points and helped the Rockets to a 34 to 27 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Rockets' reserves took over the second quarter and raced around and over the Pacers. Led by nine points from Chuck Hayes, the Rockets' bench brigade outscored their Pacers' counterparts 17 to 8 and helped the Rockets to a 66 to 43 lead. The Pacers closed out the quarter with six straight points to trim the Rockets lead to 66 to 49 at halftime.

McGrady finished the first half with 23 points including a 4-for-5 performance from beyond the arc over the first two quarters. It marked McGrady's first 20-point opening half since 21 vs. Denver (11/24/07).

The Pacers started the third quarter on fire and outscored the Rockets 13 to 4 to trim the Rockets' lead to 70 to 62 with 9:04 left in the period.

Luis Scola scored six points during a 9 to 4 Rockets' run to push the Rockets lead to 79 to 66. The Pacers cut the lead to seven points two more times in the quarter; but, the Rockets finished the quarter with a 11 to 2 run to lead 94 to 78 at the end of the third stanza.

Garbage time started with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Rockets have won seven-straight games by double-digits (an average of 17.6 points). The Rockets are kicking so much butt, the games are almost boring to watch.

McGrady led the Rockets with 25 points. Luis Scola scored all of his 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the third quarter, while Luther Head added 14 points (5-5 FG, 4-4 3FG) and Carl Landry scored 13 more (5-10 FG).

Chuck Hayes had a season-high nine points (4-8 FG) and 11 rebounds, as well as matching his career-high in assists with five (five on 12/31/07 vs. Golden State).

"Chuck Hayes was terrific when he came in the game defensively," said head coach Rick Adelman. "He kind of set the tone for us. All the things they were getting, he just established the presence in there and around the basket. He's so smart. He did so many good things, I thought he really changed things up when he came in defensively."

The Rockets head to Dallas for a Thursday night tilt with the Mavericks. Tip-off is set for 8:30pm.

Adelman and Scola Among February Winners

When a team finishes a month undefeated, honors for that team should be expected.

The Houston Rockets finished February a perfect 13 and 0; and, today, head coach Rick Adelman was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month for February. Plus, rookie forward Luis Scola was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for February.

Adelman led the Rockets to a perfect 13-0 record in February, marking the second time in team history that Houston recorded an undefeated month (14-0 in Nov. 1993). The Rockets are currently riding an NBA season long 15-game winning streak. While helping lead his team to a 13-0 record for the month, Scola led all rookies in field goal percentage with .629 percent. Scola ranked third among West rookies in scoring with 11.7 ppg.

Detroit Pistons' head coach Flip Saunders was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month while Atlanta Hawks' big man Al Horford was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.

Saunders guided the Pistons to a 9-3 (.750) month, which included wins over a trio of top Western Conference teams -- Dallas, Phoenix and Denver. Horford set career highs of 20 rebounds on Feb. 6, vs. Lakers, and 20 points on Feb. 29, vs. New York. In addition, Horford recorded seven double-doubles.

Lastly, LA Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (Western Conference) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (Eastern Conference) were named Players of the Month.

James, who wins the award for the second consecutive month, led the league in scoring in February, averaging 30.2 points and adding 8.9 rebounds and an Eastern Conference-best 8.5 assists. Bryant led the Lakers to a 13-2 mark, averaging team highs in points (27.2 ppg), assists (5.9 apg) and steals (2.07 spg). Bryant, who shot .507 from the field, scored at least 30 points on eight occasions and netted more than 40 points twice.

Rockets Beat Nuggets for 15th Straight Win

The Denver Nuggets scored the opening basket of tonight's game which marked the first time the Rockets have trailed in a game since the 3:10 mark of the second quarter (37-38) versus the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 24, 2008.

The Nuggets led the Rockets until Rockets forward Shane Battier tied the game at 12 with a made three-point shot with 4:08 left in the first quarter.

The Nuggets regained the lead until Tracy McGrady put Houston ahead (19 to 18) with a driving slam dunk.

The Rockets never trailed the rest of the ball game. The Rockets topped the Nuggets 103 to 89 for a franchise-tying 15th straight victory.

The Rockets led the Nuggets 21 to 18 at the end of the first quarter and 50 to 40 at halftime.

McGrady led all scorers with 22 points. Battier scored 20 points and made five of his 10 three-point field goal attempts. Luis Scola added 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Rafer Alston added 16 points and eight assists while forward Carl Landry added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.

For the first time in team history, the Rockets have won their last six consecutive games by a double-digit margin.