Kevin Martin's 35 points go to waste as Denver Nuggets subdue Houston Rockets 117-105 - NBA Recap
On Friday night, in a clash between two spirited teams - Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets - the Broncos proved just too strong and pummelled the Houston 117-105, to improve to 20-17.
It was thoroughly a team performance, as seven Nuggets managed to produce a double digit tally. Ty Lawson was outstanding and led the offense with 22 points on 9 for 12 from the charity stripe and 15 assists.
"People were open, and I just gave them the shot, or gave them the good pass," said Lawson later.
Arron Afflalo had 17 points while Kenneth Faried and Andre Miller both registered 16 points apiece. Corey Brewer finished with 15 and Al Harrington sealed 13 points along with 7 rebounds off the bench.
George Karl, Nuggets Coach, was thrilled with his team’s attacking display on the night.
"For the first time in a while, I saw us wearing a team down a little bit, the constant attacking, the constant penetration, the constant pounding," Karl said. "It was more of a Nugget win. I haven't seen that in about a month."
Although there were impressive performances from all the Nuggets, the best performance of the night came from a player of the losing team - Kevin Martin.
Martin scored a season high 35 points on 6 for 9 from the long range and 9 for 10 from the free throw line. Kyle Lowry put up an all round performance and finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists whereas big Luis Scola
recorded 13 points. Chandler Parsons also chipped in with 10 points.
Rockets were more accurate with their shooting (47.4%- 44.3%), however they were outrebounded (49-35) tonight. The first 36 minutes of the game were highly entertaining and competitive. Both teams put up a good show and the momentum
kept on changing. By the end of the third quarter the Nuggets were slightly ahead at 82-78.
The Nuggets increased their lead to 6 points 89-83 early in the 4th; however the Rockets fought hard and were only trailing by 92-95 mid way through the frame.
But then came a game deciding 16-8 Nuggets run, capped by a Kenneth Faried flush, which pushed the Rockets miles away from the game at 111-100. With less than 2 minutes, the 11 point deficit proved just too much for Rockets to
cut and they eventually gave it up at 117-105.
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