Houston Rockets defeat the New Jersey Nets 112-87
The Houston Rockets thrashed the New Jersey Nets 112-87 at Prudential Centre on Tuesday night. The Rockets are now in a better position to get to the play-offs, as they are just two games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Six players scored in double figures as Houston bounced back from a 125-119 defeat to the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena on Sunday night.
Guard Kevin Martin scored a team-high 20 points and four rebounds for the Rockets, who have won seven of their last 10 games. Kyle Lowry continued to impress for New Jersey by finishing with 16 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
The 24-year-old Houston guard, Lowry, was quiet happy with his team’s current performance as they have won six of their last seven games. He said, "We are just playing. We are happy, we are having fun. We just go out there and we are flowing. We know who
is going to get the ball and how we are going to score. We are confident and we are finally getting something going."
Forward Patrick Patterson and guard Goran Dragic came off the bench with 13 points each, while Chuck Hayes racked up 14 rebounds in the victory. Centre-forward Jordan Hill added 11 points and eight rebounds and forward Chase Budinger chipped in with 10 points
for Houston.
The 22-year-old Brook Lopez registered a game-high 22 point and pulled down seven rebounds for New Jersey. Guard Jordan Farmar had 12 points and seven rebounds while Sasha Vujacic finished with 11 points in the defeat.
Ben Uzoh contributed 10 points, while Kris Humphries grabbed 13 rebounds for the Nets, who have lost three consecutive games. The Nets were once again missing Deron Williams, who is under day-to-day observation with a strained tendon in his right wrist.
Williams missed his sixth consecutive games of the season.
Match Analysis
Both teams came out aggressively in the first quarter as the contest was tied twice in the first eight minutes. However, Houston went on a 15-2 run in the last four minutes of the quarter, taking a 34-21 lead into the second.
Martin and Hill kept the Rockets competitive in the second quarter and gave their team an 18-point advantage by half time. Houston then extended their lead to 26 points at 79-53 with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter. The Nets continued to
play sloppy shots and the Rockets pulled away by 83-63 heading into the final stanza.
Leading by 20 points after three quarters, Houston held a 25-point edge at 95-70 early in the fourth quarter, and New Jersey did not threaten them for the rest of the game.
Nets coach Avery Johnson expressed his disappointment after the game. He said, "I am disappointed. We can't keep writing these off as bad games. I am a competitor. We expect more. I do not make excuses. We just didn't get it done tonight."
If the Rockets keep playing with the focus and intensity they displayed this weekend, they could make it to the playoffs.
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