NBA Roundup: Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers win – (Part 1)
Two days into the business end of the season, the fun and excitement that gripped the NBA world during the All-Star weekend seems like a far cry. On Wednesday night, 24 teams faced off in the NBA. The highlight of the night though, was Carmelo Anthony.
The All-Star forward, who finally landed at Madison Square Garden after months of speculation over his future, made a triumphant start as he led the New York Knicks to their first victory in the second half of the season.
Here is a brief round-up of the game that unravelled on Wednesday, 23rd February.
Houston Rockets 124 – Cleveland Cavaliers 119
The Houston Rockets have their work cut out for them if they plan on getting back into the mix for the Western Conference playoffs. They couldn’t have asked for a better itinerary though. In the second game of their three-match road trip against some of
the East’s worst teams, Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger led the Rockets with 30 points each, as the Rockets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-119 in a thrilling encounter.
Playing on their home turf, the Cavs put up a valiant effort. Antawn Jamison once again led the Cavs with 26 points. He was not the only one fighting on the night though. Manny Harris came off the bench to score 21 points and nine rebounds. Point guard Ramón
Session had 20 points and 12 assists, while Anthony Parker finished with 19 points on a 7-of-10 shooting.
The Cavaliers gave the Rockets a run for their money throughout the game. However, just when it looked like that the Cavs could pull off a huge upset, Budinger and Martin turned on the heat big time. The duo combined to score the Rockets' final 24 points
over the last eight minutes, as the Wine and the Gold lost steam down the stretch.
Houston’s two-man onslaught not only kept the Cavaliers from regaining the lead but also gave Houston a ten-point advantage in the final minutes of the game. The visitors never looked back after that, as they made it two in a row after the All-Star break.
Indiana Pacers 102 – Detroit Pistons 101
The Indiana Pacers are playing some of their best basketball under interim coach Frank Vogel. On Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons, they picked up from where they left off before the All-Star break.
The Pistons did not make things easy for the hosts though.
The game, which was supposed to be a walk in the park for February’s hottest team, nearly turned out to be a nightmare. The sharp-shooting extravaganza went right down the wire and wasn’t decided until the Pacers' final possession.
Trailing by as many as 16 points early in the second quarter, the Pistons turned the screws on the Pacer’s offence. Calling all the shots from that point onwards, the Pistons gradually chipped away at the Pacers’ advantage and an Austin Daye jumper with
11 seconds to go gave them the lead at 101-100. The Detroit defence double-teamed Danny Granger on Indiana's final possession though. This provided enough space in the lane for Brandon Rush, who pulled off a last gasp dunk to clinch a 102-101 win.
Second-year forward, Tyler Hansbrough scored 21 points for the Pacers, who also got 18 from Danny Granger. For the Pistons, centre Greg Monroe finished with a game-high 27 points while Rodney Stuckey had 21 points.
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