NBA Roundup Part III
Houston Rockets 110 - Cleveland Cavaliers 95
The Houston Rockets won their fifth consecutive home game by drubbing the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-95 at the Toyota Center. It was also the Cavaliers’ seventh straight defeat of the season.
Kevin Martin was Houston’s best player with a season-high 40 points on 12-for-19 shooting. Shane Battier and Chase Budinger posted 16 apiece for Rockets.
"I think we flew around better, our energy level picked up, our concentration picked up," said Shane Battier after the game.
Antawn Jamison did his level best with a season-high 24 points to go with five rebounds, two steals, and two assists for Cleveland. Mo Williams also contributed 18 points in the defeat.
Martin played one of his best games for Houston after starting out with 22 points in the first quarter, by making 8-of-10 shots and giving Houston to a 37-29 advantage.
Houston really got going offensively in the second quarter; Budinger drilled a three to expand the Rockets' lead to 42-32. They managed to build up their lead to 66-58 heading into half time.
Despite an outstanding defensive performance for most of the game, Cleveland trailed by just four at 75-71, midway through the third.
The Rockets continued their dominance in the second half by limiting Cleveland to 37 points on 15-of-40 shooting.
Battier praised his team’s performance saying, "We flew around better. Our energy level picked up, our concentration picked up. [The Cavaliers] put you in some unique situations where if you're not sharp mentally, you give up lay-ups and three’s.”
With thirty seconds remaining until the final buzzer, Martin's lay-up ended the burst, giving Houston a 92-75 lead. The Rockets led by double digits the rest of the way.
Miami Heat 104 - Sacramento Kings 83
The Miami Heat swept its four-game road trip, to wins their eighth consecutive game by trouncing the visiting Sacramento Kings 104-83 at the ARCO Arena.
Dwayne Wade posted game-high 36 points, six assists and six rebounds for the Heat. LeBron James chipped in with 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
James praised his team-mate after the game by saying, "D-Wade is one of those guys, and there are only few of us in this league, that when they really get going there is really nothing you can do. He got it going."
Omri Casspi led the Kings with a team-high 20 points. Jason Thompson and Beno Udrih contributed 13 and 12 respectively, in the defeat for Sacramento.
Casspi played the first half very well for the Kings, and responded with a pair of three-pointers, but Wade scored two baskets in the final minute of the half to give the Heat a 47-42 lead at the interval.
The Heat opened the second half on a 19-4 run to stretch a 20-point advantage, as Wade, James, and Bosh combined for 26 of Miami's 31 points in the third quarter.
Wade's fourth-quarter dunk highlighted his 36-point game, and led the Heat to their season-best eighth straight win.
Wade said after the game, “We have a different mentality both off the floor and on the court as well. That team meeting really propelled us to where we are now. We understood and knew November was a tough month for us. But with that adversity there was a
lot of growth going on. It was just about when it was going to click and right now it's clicking for us.''
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