Rocket breeze past Warriors 111-101
"We are 3-10, but we are not a 3-10 team. We are way better than that."
That’s what the Houston Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry had to say after his side’s 123-116 loss to Phoenix on Monday.
The Rockets backed up that claim by putting in their most convincing performance of the season so far, as they cruised past the Golden State Warriors 111-101 at Toyota center, to break a four-match losing streak.
After starting the season 6-2, the Golden State Warriors have lost six of the last seven games, and are seemingly looking down the barrel with this latest setback.
The Warriors committed too many fouls throughout the match, which eventually proved to be their undoing. The Rockets took advantage of the Warriors rough play, and slipped in 39 of 51 free-throws.
The Rockets were without the injured Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks, but their young bench stepped up, as Kevin Martin scored 25 points to lead the Houston charge. Luis Scola had an excellent game too, scoring 24 points and complementing it with a match high
12 boards. Chuck Hayes also chipped in with 16 points and 5 assists. Kevin Lowry made his mark with 14 points and 10 assists, while Shane Battier finished with 13 points, as all the Rockets starters featured in the double figures.
Dorell Wright top scored for the Warriors with 24 points, four assists and eight rebounds. While Stephen Curry scored 21 points and Monta Ellis finished with 18.
The Rockets started the match in rollicking fashion and gained an early lead, one which they never squandered. It was not all smooth sailing though for the Rockets, as they had to fight off a couple of spirited surges by the Warriors in the second and third
quarters.
The Rockets blanked the Warriors with short unanswered bursts right throughout the first quarter, and continued the trend at the start of the second, leading by 50-37 with five minutes left till half-time.
The Warriors though showed fight and outscored the Rockets 14-9 in the rest of the quarter, to go into the break at 59-51.
The Warriors surge didn’t stop there, as they outscored the Rockets again at the start of the second-half 18-11, to make it a one-point game at 70-69. Houston though managed to stretch their lead to 82-78 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Chase Budinger opened the fourth period with a three-pointer for the Rockets, but the Warriors continued to turn the screws on the Rockets defence, as a Monta Ellis lay-up shot made it 86-88 with more than eight minutes to play.
The Warriors looked set to make a comeback, but the Rockets quashed their hopes as they went on an 11-0 run, capped by a Luis Scola lay-up shot to wrest back the initiative.
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