Monta Ellis stars as Golden State Warriors defeat Houston Rockets 106-97 – NBA Recap
Monta Ellis was unstoppable with 33 points and seven assists at the Oracle Arena, where Golden State Warriors defeated the visiting Houston Rockets, 106-97 after a match that had the capacity crowd riveting with appreciation.
The Warriors sprayed the Rockets with a dozen 3-pointers in a game where 5 Golden State players hit the double figure index. Apart from Ellis’ game high 33, David Lee had a double-double with 15 points and had 13 rebounds, Stephen
Curry and rookie Klay Thompson scored 14 apiece while Brandon Rush came up with 10 points.
Ellis and Curry combined to score 47 points. The backcourt duo became the nightmare for Rockets defence as they seemed to score on will. They have been on a great run together in this season so far, averaging 50.4 points per game
and at 55.8% shooting rate.
Warriors head coach Mark Jackson praised the duo’s performance as,
"What they're doing right now is playing off of one another. They're realizing who has the hot hand -- at all times, they're being unselfish. From Day 1, those guys looked to make plays for the other. Almost too much. They're a
talented tandem, and when they're clicking, they're as good as it gets in this league."
Rockets took an early 13-5 lead in the opening frame which they managed to maintain throughout the 1st quarter. Led by Kevin Martin’s 10 points, Houston dominated the opening half with a 29-23 lead.
The second segment belonged to the Warriors as they made a 13-0 spurt that ended with a 3-pointer from Rush with 01:35 in hand. This run not only clawed off the deficit but placed Golden State ahead at 46-38. Houston cut down the
deficit a little in the ensuing passage as the Warriors capped off the frame with a slender 48-44 lead.
Rockets tried to redeem things after halftime and scored 30 points that encompassed a 6-0 run at the end of quarter. The Warriors’ however scored 28 points of their own and things remained close at 76-74.
The final 12 minutes proved to be a one sided affai. Warriors delivered a 17-5 run at the start of the stanza, which placed them in a comfortable position; a 7 point lead to boot. Rockets tried to scratch off the deficit but that
went in vain as the clock expired and Warriors recorded their 7th home victory.
Final score 106-97.
Guard Kevin Martin was in the groove for Houston. He netted 28 and had 6 rebounds, while Luis Scola scored a double-double for Rockets with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Courtney Lee and Chandler Parsons also added 11 points each.
Rockets coach Kevin McHale was not pleased by the team effort;
"It just seemed to me like the whole night it felt like we were playing in 8 inches of water,”
“We just couldn't get going."
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