Houston Rockets snap four-game skid with win over the Golden State Warriors
The Houston Rockets (4-10) snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Golden State Warriors (7-8) 111-101 on Wednesday 24 November at the Toyota Center in Houston. The Warriors have
now dropped six of their past seven games after a promising 6-2 start to the season.
Shooting guard Kevin Martin led the Rockets with 25 points, shooting only 4-for-12 from the field but 14-for-15 from the line. Luis Scola had a solid double-double with 24 points and 12
rebounds while Chuck Hayes finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Shane Battier finished with 13 points and four blocked shots while starting point guard Kyle Lowry posted 14 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists. Courtney Lee and Chase
Budinger chipped in with nine points apiece off the bench.
Stephen Curry, who fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter, finished with 21 points, six assists, and four steals while Dorell Wright had 24 points and eight rebounds in 45 minutes
of play. Monta Ellis struggled from the field (7-for-21), finishing with 18 points. Starting centre Andris Biedrins finished with six points and 10 rebounds while Reggie Williams led all bench scorers with 15 points, going 6-for-10 from the field.
Foul shots were a major factor in this one, with the Rockets shooting 39-for-51 from the free-throw line while the Warriors were 12-for-18. Two Golden State players, Biedrins and Vladimir
Radmanovic, finished with five fouls on the night while Curry picked up six, fouling out. All in all, seven Golden State players finished with at least three fouls compared to two for Houston.
Houston got off to a solid start at home, outscoring Golden State 36-23 in the first quarter. Thanks to 12 first half points from Martin, the Rockets led 50-37 midway through the second
quarter and would take a 59-51 lead into the break.
The Warriors made a run to begin the second half, outscoring the Rockets 18-11 to get within one point. But Houston would fight back, entering the final quarter up 82-78. With 8:35 remaining,
the Warriors were within two points but a quick 11-0 spurt by the Rockets helped them pull away for the win.
What they said
Lowry told reporters he was happy the Rockets finally snapped their losing skid. "We played with a sense of urgency in that fourth quarter. It was very positive for us and it was definitely
a stepping stone for us."
Martin said his team needs to bring this effort to every game. "We came out from the start just ready to play tonight and it just carried throughout the game for the whole 48 minutes.
That's what we've got to do night in and night out."
Despite making numerous runs, Curry said his team just couldn't get over the hump. "We definitely couldn't get the momentum on our side. Houston
had the crowd and we weren't able to execute and they kept control of the game. I thought we were pretty aggressive by driving to the basket but they seemed to play smarter defensively."
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