Kevin Martin on fire; Houston Rockets win overtime thriller against New Orleans Hornets 90 – 88 – NBA Recap
The Houston Rockets edged out the New Orleans Hornets in an enthralling encounter at the Toyota Center. The game was engaging throughout and overtime was needed to separate the two sides with the Rockets finishing just ahead at 90 – 88.
Kevin Martin was the standout player on the night and the guard spearheaded Houston’s assault with 32 points and 8 rebounds. Centre Samuel Dalembert has been impressive this season so far and he registered another polished double-double performance, 15 points
and 17 rebounds. Courtney Lee was also notable, coming off the bench for 17 points.
Jason Smith led the Hornets with 17 points on a night where the side shared their scoring responsibilities quite evenly. Jarrett Jack and Marco Belinelli both notched up 15 points while Emeka Okafor had 8 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Only one New Orleans
player came on the court and failed to score, 9 players getting on the score card.
Houston looked the stronger side at the start of the game, opening with a 14 – 6 run. Near the end of the first quarter there lead had reached into double figures with the score at 27 – 17. New Orleans though then recovered to end the period behind by 5
at 32 – 27.
The second quarter was largely along the same lines with the home side holding the edge and the visitors trying to keep up. The two sides thus headed into the break with the score at 58 – 49 to Houston.
After the interval the game slowed down considerably as both teams concentrated on defence. Houston were still able to get the better of New Orleans although the margins were much finer now. The third period ended with Houston in a commanding position leading
by double figures at 75 – 63.
The game however turned in the last quarter. The Rockets just lost their touch and couldn’t get anything to fall as New Orleans came charging back into the game. The Hornets scored 19 points in the quarter while the Rockets only managed 7. With the scores
tied at 82 apiece, the game headed into overtime.
Shots were traded and the sides went neck and neck in overtime, neither giving an inch to the other. New Orleans managed to get a 5 point advantage at 88 – 83, but the Rockets made a furious 7 – 0 rally to end the game and grab the win.
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