Rockets Hold off Blazers
HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Rockets nearly blew all of an 18 point lead Tuesday night versus the Portland Trail Blazers; but, the Rockets were able to hold on for the 98 to 94 win in front of 17,515 fans inside Toyota Center.
The Rockets (36-21) overwhelmed the Blazers (35-21) in the first half with efficient basketball. Houston shot 53.5% (24 for 45) in the first 24 minutes and led Portland 60 to 43 at the half. The 24 made baskets came from 15 assists. Aaron Brooks led the Rockets with 11 first half points followed by 10 points each from Ron Artest and Luis Scola.
The Rockets' second half offense was horrible and the Blazers took advantage. Portland outscored the Rockets 26 to 18 in the third quarter and crept back into the ball game.
The Rockets regained some rhythm on offense early in the fourth quarter; however, down the stretch, the Rockets perimeter players failed to get the ball down low to Yao Ming and possessions ended with rushed shots or simply bad shots. Brooks missed all four of his fourth quarter shots while Yao only attempted three shots (making one) in the final period.
"We played well offensively in the 1st half," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "And struggled offensively in the 2nd half, but overall we came with a lot of energy and I was happy to get the win."
Artest led the Rockets with 21 points followed by 20 points from Brooks. Brooks attempted 20 shots - five more shot attempts than Yao Ming - and dished out just two assists. Yao scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Luis Scola added 15 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double.
"They (the Blazers) fronted Yao which caused some hesitation on our part," said Rockets forward Chuck Hayes after the game. "And then when the ball was swung we really didn't have an answer. We kind of had to throw up the best shot that we could get. They did a good job on the defensive end. By them going small they took Yao away from the basket and Aldridge was able to either hit the jumper or swing it to (Travis) Outlaw who had a great game."
Adelman added his reasons why the Rockets' struggled in the fourth quarter versus the Blazers.
"One of the things I said is that we have to find ways to be sure that we stay consistent offensively, and tonight Yao had a tough night (6 for 15 from the field). They took it out of his hands and we weren't quite as organized as we needed to be, but that's going to happen. The one thing is we did enough to win the game, and we have to learn from that and hopefully in the 4th quarter be better."
Portland superstar Brandon Roy scored a game-high 24 points; but, Roy shot just 10 for 23 from the field. Teammate LaMarcus Aldridge added 21 points; but, Aldridge shot just 7 for 19 from the field. Rookie Nicolas Batum scored all of his 14 points in the third quarter on 5 for 5 shooting including 3 for 3 on three-point shots. Travis Outlaw scored 15 points off the Blazers' bench.
"Our offensive execution led to a lot of fast break points for Houston," said Blazers head coach Nate McMillan. "They went off on a big run in the first half and we didn't answer. In the second half, we fought back but it's very tough to get behind so much early. The Rockets are a very good defensive team and they defended us well. In the second half, our offense was more efficient and our transition defense was better."
Tonight's win is the Rockets season-high fifth straight victory. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers play the Rockets this Thursday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. instead of the usual 7:30 p.m. start.
The Rockets (36-21) overwhelmed the Blazers (35-21) in the first half with efficient basketball. Houston shot 53.5% (24 for 45) in the first 24 minutes and led Portland 60 to 43 at the half. The 24 made baskets came from 15 assists. Aaron Brooks led the Rockets with 11 first half points followed by 10 points each from Ron Artest and Luis Scola.
The Rockets' second half offense was horrible and the Blazers took advantage. Portland outscored the Rockets 26 to 18 in the third quarter and crept back into the ball game.
The Rockets regained some rhythm on offense early in the fourth quarter; however, down the stretch, the Rockets perimeter players failed to get the ball down low to Yao Ming and possessions ended with rushed shots or simply bad shots. Brooks missed all four of his fourth quarter shots while Yao only attempted three shots (making one) in the final period.
"We played well offensively in the 1st half," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "And struggled offensively in the 2nd half, but overall we came with a lot of energy and I was happy to get the win."
Artest led the Rockets with 21 points followed by 20 points from Brooks. Brooks attempted 20 shots - five more shot attempts than Yao Ming - and dished out just two assists. Yao scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Luis Scola added 15 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double.
"They (the Blazers) fronted Yao which caused some hesitation on our part," said Rockets forward Chuck Hayes after the game. "And then when the ball was swung we really didn't have an answer. We kind of had to throw up the best shot that we could get. They did a good job on the defensive end. By them going small they took Yao away from the basket and Aldridge was able to either hit the jumper or swing it to (Travis) Outlaw who had a great game."
Adelman added his reasons why the Rockets' struggled in the fourth quarter versus the Blazers.
"One of the things I said is that we have to find ways to be sure that we stay consistent offensively, and tonight Yao had a tough night (6 for 15 from the field). They took it out of his hands and we weren't quite as organized as we needed to be, but that's going to happen. The one thing is we did enough to win the game, and we have to learn from that and hopefully in the 4th quarter be better."
Portland superstar Brandon Roy scored a game-high 24 points; but, Roy shot just 10 for 23 from the field. Teammate LaMarcus Aldridge added 21 points; but, Aldridge shot just 7 for 19 from the field. Rookie Nicolas Batum scored all of his 14 points in the third quarter on 5 for 5 shooting including 3 for 3 on three-point shots. Travis Outlaw scored 15 points off the Blazers' bench.
"Our offensive execution led to a lot of fast break points for Houston," said Blazers head coach Nate McMillan. "They went off on a big run in the first half and we didn't answer. In the second half, we fought back but it's very tough to get behind so much early. The Rockets are a very good defensive team and they defended us well. In the second half, our offense was more efficient and our transition defense was better."
Tonight's win is the Rockets season-high fifth straight victory. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers play the Rockets this Thursday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. instead of the usual 7:30 p.m. start.
posted by Kris G @ 11:02 PM
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