Game Preview: Houston Rockets at Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats (5-10) will host the Houston Rockets (4-10) at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Houston.
The Houston Rockets broke a four-game losing streak by overcoming the Golden State Warriors 111-101 on Wednesday.
Houston’s Luis Scola played well and maintained his great start to the season, scoring 24 points and 12 rebounds. Kevin Martin added 25 points, while fill-in point guard
Kyle Lowry neared a triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.
Houston’s Kyle Lowry said that they played the final quarter of the match against Warriors with a lot of urgency, "It was very positive for us, and it was definitely a stepping
stone for us and our future play. We just have to finish."
In three of their last five losses, the Rockets have been outscored by an average of 8.7 points in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile the Bobcats lost two in a row to the New York Knicks, losing 93-99 on Wednesday at home.
Despite the loss, Tyrus Thomas had his finest game of the season, finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks. Stephen Jackson did all he could, and contributed
with 18 points, four boards and four steals.
Charlotte point guard D.J. Augustin said, "We're fighting hard at the end, but you've got to have that same attitude at the beginning of the game."
The Bobcats have played well in the fourth quarter of their last two games, but have not been able to convert those performances into victories.
Although the Knicks defeated the Bobcats, the Bobcats’ coach seemed to be happy with the way his team played during the final session of the game. In addition, he praised
the efforts of center Tyrus Thomas, "He played great. Matchups, a lot of times, determine his minutes as a starter. But I don't think we can play that lineup against most of the teams in this league."
Kyle Lowry vs. D.J. Augustin
Houston’s Point guard, Kyle Lowry is likely to be matched - up against the Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin.
Lowry has been in great form this season, and had his second double-double in his last three games. He was amazing in his last match against the Wizards, and led the team
with 14 points, 10 assists, and neared a triple-double with seven rebounds.
Augustin is averaging a career high 13.0 points and 7.1 assists this season. Augustin scored 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting with five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals
against the Knicks, on Tuesday.
Invisible players
Houston will definitely be without two of their starters (Aaron, Ming) in the next match. Aaron Brooks has an ankle injury and Yao Ming is suffering with a leg injury.
Bobcat’s shooting guard Gerald Henderson is under day-to-day observation, and is out of the side with inflammation in his left knee. Dominic McGuire is also out of the game
(shin).
Numbers
The Rockets are shooting 43.8 percent from the field, while the Bobcats are estimated to shoot 47.5 percent.
The Bobcats have the better rebound percentage at 45.1, and Houston have a 39.1 percentage.
The Rockets are committing fewer turnovers at 12.8, as compared to 15.4 for the Bobcats.
The Rockets are making 6.5 three pointers on 34.1 percent from three point range, at the same time the Bobcats are making 5.4 three pointers on 38.1 percent from range.
Both teams will be looking at this game to kick start their respective seasons.
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