Houston Rockets vs New Jersey Nets Game Recap

So that was fun. Although it was a little more tightly contested than it probably should have been, tonight's victory made for excellent entertainment as well as a win in the standings, a rare but always enjoyable combination. We're now two games above .500 and have an exciting week coming up with games against a banged-up Denver, erratic Memphis and floundering Celtics team, and I honestly think we can go 3-0. The Nuggets are always a tough out, but I am very confident about our chances against the Grizzlies and Celtics. Anyways, we'll cross those (cross)roads when we get there, right now let's review tonight's game.

The obvious story was Luis Scola. He dropped 44 points on 25 shots, shooting an absurd 80 percent from the field. Anytime a player gets 40 with only four made free throws and zero three pointers it's a story, and that was certainly the case tonight. Scola whirled and twirled his way to the basket and essentially scored at will, rendering the Nets' efforts absolutely futile. If there's one criticism of Scola it's that he's not much of a passer, but you can't expect perfection, only hope for it. Scola is averaging 23.7 points and 14 rebounds on 58 percent shooting from the field and 89 percent from the line in March. So yeah, I guess you could say he's been playing alright without Landry. We're going to have to work out some kinks when Yao comes back, but if they can coexist, I could see Yao putting up 20-9 complemented by 17-10 from Scola, which would make for an excellent frontcourt. Like comparable to the Lakers' excellent. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. 

Courtney Lee played quite well for the Nets. He's been up and down this season, but March has been mostly up and he's starting to show some signs that he could potentially be more than a glorified role player. I don't think he's anywhere near as good as he was made out to be in Orlando, but I think he could develop into a 17-point a night guy with excellent defense who shoots threes, and there's not a single team in the league who wouldn't want a player like that. 

Trevor Ariza was back in the starting lineup tonight, which was not really much of a surprise. Just wanted to reiterate in case anyone missed it. This is our starting lineup, and I'm fine with it. I feel much safer with Battier coming off the bench than Ariza, mainly because I'm not that confident in Ariza's temperament, so I'd rather avoid any issues by bringing the consummate team-player off the pine rather than the possible malcontent. 

We had a 43-31 rebounding advantage tonight including seven more offensive rebounds that led to six extra possessions (they had one less turnover), and in a game in which both teams are shooting  over 50 percent from the field, six chances at scoring could be the difference.

Brooks and Martin added their usual 18 and 20, respectively, and both have become virtual locks for close to 20 points per night. Ariza was also efficient by his standards, pouring in 15 points on 11 shots and grabbing 10 rebounds while dishing out 6 assists for good measure. Our starters (other than Chuck) were clicking tonight, and I'd love to see more of it. 

It was a 99 possession game, which means we put up about 117 points per 100 possessions. For comparison's sake, Phoenix leads the league at 111.6. So yeah, that was good. Especially when you consider that we only went 5-17 from three, which gave us fifteen points on seventeen shots. Take those out and we were at a blistering 123 per 100, thanks in no small part to Scola putting up 44 on 25 attempts. I know I've already mentioned that last stat, but I just wanted to reiterate how crucial he was tonight. 

All in all it was a good game to watch, we played with intensity and effort, and although it was against the Nets, it was nevertheless a great and much-needed (second) win (in a row). We've got a tough week coming up, so here's hoping we can regain some of our early season form and come away with two or three wins. And, as always, go Rockets. 

Houston Rockets vs New Jersey Nets Game Preview

Forgive me in advance, for this preview won't nearly as lengthy or extensive as you are accustomed to. The reasoning behind this reduction is simple: the Rockets are undeniably better than the New Jersey Nets, although I'll concede that the Nets have played well, by their meager standards, as of late, staying competitive against the Thunder, Mavericks and Grizzlies while even managing to notch their seventh win of the year against New York in blowout fashion. Now go back and re-read the second clause of that sentence. There's no way to qualify losing to these guys, as even an exponential improvement upon their play from the primordial parts of the season still leaves them struggling to attain mediocrity. Us, on the other hand, are grasping frantically to escape the clasping reach of commonness, trying desperately to remain above .500. As you can see, playing well for the New Jersey Nets puts them where playing poorly leaves us. We should not lose to a team like this. We cannot, in fact, if we want to retain any semblance of hope of making the playoffs.

Tonight is Clutch's birthday, so if you see him remember to wish him. He's one of the better mascots in the leagues, and has done an admirable job filling the void Turbo's departure left in my heart. 

Devin Harris has begun to look like himself as of late, and his matchup against Brooks will be critical. Harris might be the only player in the league quicker than Brooks, and the winner of the point guard battle could very well lead their team to victory.

Stopping Brook Lopez will be another essential. He's a borderline 20-10 player and an All-Star if the Nets weren't incompetency incarnate, and what's worst for us is that he's an adroit low-post defender, meaning that if we're not careful and thoughtful with our finishes then tonight could turn into a party of the block variety. 

The Nets allow the seventh best three-point percentage in the league, and seeing as we take the third most in the NBA, that should work in our favor. If we hit our threes early on we should be able to turn this game into a romp sooner rather than later.

Look for Jordan Hill to guard Brook Lopez for parts of the game, which naturally would mean more playing time for the former. Hill has been producing as of late and there's no reason that shouldn't continue. Once again, New York proves to be utterly incapable of properly running a franchise.
 

 Give him a hand, the man (bear) (-pig) deserves it

We only beat the Nets by five the last time we played them, but that was also in New Jersey (so it was, for all intents and purposes, at a neutral site) and without Kevin Martin. Hopefully the game goes a little more in our favor tonight. Expect the Rockets to win by between 12-15 points, maybe a little more if the Nets are feeling overly Nets-y. And, as per the usual, go Rockets. 

Houston Rockets: 32-31, 96.3 possessions per game (7th), 103.7 points scored per 100 possessions (20th), 104.0 points allowed per 100 possessions (T-14th)

New Jersey Nets: 7=58, 94.0 possessions per game (22nd), 96.6 points scored per 100 possessions (30th) (!), 107.9 points allowed per 100 possessions (27th)  

All stats from hoopdata.com 

Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings Game Preview

The concept of a triumphant return has long been one of the more easily digestible and reportable stories for a reader and writer, respectively. The preceding sentence is even more applicative for a vindictive homecoming. I'm hoping Landry's return is neither of the two, since the former would mean a victory for the Kings and the latter would mean that Landry is unhappy with us for trading him. Either way, that would really suck.

In case you haven't caught on, today is Carl Landry's return to Houston, and, admittedly, it's going to be difficult to watch. He grew from raw but talented to shows glimpses of untapped potential to efficient, deadly scorer in three years and was a fan favorite in every sense of the (two) word(s). I wish him all the best with the Kings, but just not tonight. 

-Trevor Ariza most likely won't play again tonight, and at this point I'm guessing we're only sitting him out as a precaution. He's still day-to-day, so, as one would expect, he could be back any game now.  Lowry's also still out, and his injury is looking a lot more serious than Trevor's.

-In his last three games with the Rockets, Kevin Martin has scored 93 points on 53 shots, which, if you were wondering, is pretty damn good. He's also opened up the floor for Brooks, who's been dazzling in his own right.  Hopefully that can continue.

-Joey Dorsey is back in town. I feel like this qualifies as newsworthy. So's Donte Greene, who may have set the record two summers ago for the quickest anyone has had an entire city's opinion of them change, as we all went from praising him as a potential 20-point scorer in the NBA after he dropped forty in the D-League to utterly expendable once we learned he was included in the Ron Artest trade. 

-Also, now that I think of it, we seem to trade with the Kings quite a bit. Clearly Morey must have some sort of liking for messing with the Maloofs.

-A key matchup tonight will be Tyreke Evans vs. Aaron Brooks, as we will see two dynamic young point guards with greatly contrasting styles going head-to-head. Evans prefers to use his size and physicality to dominate, while Brooks creates shots with his quickness and ball-handling. It's going to be interesting to watch, and the winner of the dual's team could very well be the one that comes away from the Toyota Center with a victory. 

 

The Maloofs, seen here hard at work to improve their franchise. 

-We're currently four games behind the Blazers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, so any win is going to go a long way. Our schedule over the next week-and-a-half looks more than bearable, and this could be a prime opportunity to make up some ground in the race for the post-season. 



-Just to give you a little actual analysis, the Kings take the eighth most shots at the rim in the NBA at 28.3 per game, with Tyreke Evans accounting for a league-leading 8.2 of those, so keeping them out of the paint will be paramount tonight. This could be a little more difficult than advertised with our less than intimidating front-court, but hopefully we can keep Tyreke and Co. from running amok near the basket.


Tonight should, assuming everything goes according to plan, hopefully end in a win for the Rockets. We're clearly a better team than the Kings and are starting to regain some of the confidence we had lost over this last month. It could be a little closer than desired, but expect the Rockets to end up with the win. And, as always, go Rockets (and Carl Landry). But mostly Rockets. 


Houston Rockets: 30-29, 96.3 possessions per game (7th), 103.7 points scored per 100 possessions (17th), 104.7 points allowed per 100 possessions (17th)  

Sacramento Kings: 20-40, 97.2 possessions per game (6th), 102.8 points scored per 100 possessions (21st), 107.3 points allowed per 100 possessions (24th)  

All stats from hoopdata.com 

Houston Rockes @ Utah Jazz Preview

Unsurprisingly, right as the Rockets manage to rediscover the slightest glimmer of optimism, the NBA hits us with its deadliest weapon: the back-to-back. Known for its innate ability to eliminate any residual confidence from the previous night's games, the back-to-back is the mortal enemy of the sanguine. And, to make matters worse, this second game is in Utah, against a hated rival in a forsaken state. Okay, so that last prepositional phrase was a little overboard, my apologies to the good people of Utah. In any case, to get back to the point, the Jazz really, really suck. Winning tonight is going to be tough, but luckily for us, tough is the perfect adjective to describe the Rockets.

-The Jazz also played yesterday, which is important because, well, we did. They lost to the Kings, so not only will they be tired, they'll also be (slightly) demoralized. If we can come out early and attack there's a strong chance we'll be able to build a stable lead like the one we had against the Spurs, which came in extremely handy later in the game.

-Just as an aside, the Jazz game on February 16th was Carl's last game as a Rocket. And if you think this was just an excuse to mention Carl Landry again, you're damn right. 

-I watch the games we play in. We're playing the Jazz. The Jazz have Andrei Kirilenko. Through transitive property, this means that I will be forced to watch Andrei Kirilenko. This makes me unhappy.


-The Jazz have one of the worst opponent's free throw rates in the league, which plays right into Kevin Martin's wily, crafty hands. As we saw yesterday, Kevin Martin can make a living at the free throw line, and going against the foul-happy Jazz is an absolute blessing for Martin. If Martin can get the Jazz into the penalty early, look for a contest akin to last night, in which the Rockets won the game at the free throw line. 

-The Jazz also have one of the worst turnover rates in the NBA, which means there will be plenty of opportunities for the Rockets to push the ball and score easy baskets. The Jazz are in the top third in the league in terms of defensive efficiency and every point in transition is a point we don't have to work at, so the more the better.


-Unfortunately for the Rockets, the Jazz take the third most shots directly at the basket in the NBA, which could prove problematic for us since we lack a true shot-blocker down low. We're going to need either Jeffries, Armstrong or Hill to step up and protect the paint to prevent the game from becoming a layup line for the Jazz. 


-We're going to have to deal with the incessant flopping routine that is the Utah Jazz, as Kirilenko has taken a sort of twisted pride in desecrating the sanctity of basketball by falling indiscriminately, regardless of whether or not he was actually touched. Just another reason to hate him. 

-The power forward battle will be critical tonight, as Boozer and Scola are both essential to their respective teams. They both also had spectacular nights yesterday, and the winner of this matchup could go a long way in determining the outcome of the entire game.  

 In case you haven't figured it out, I really, really don't like this man.

Overall tonight should be excellent to watch, as both teams have very little affinity for one another and it shows whenever they get together. Every time we play the Jazz it's chippy, rough and borderline violent, and tonight should be no different. Both teams will be tired after last night, which could lead to harder falls and deader legs, and if you add the inherent dislike these clubs share for one another you have a deadly concoction. Hopefully the momentum from last night's win over the Spurs can carry over to tonight, especially for Kevin Martin. I think we can definitely leave Utah with the victory, but it'll most likely be a hard-fought contest either way. So, with unbounded emphasis tonight, go Rockets. 

Houston Rockets: 29-28, 96.3 possessions per game (7th), 103.4 points scored per 100 possessions (19th), 104.2 points allowed per 100 possessions (15th) 


Utah Jazz: 37-21, 95.5 possessions per game (14th), 106.4 points scored per 100 possessions (8th), 101.9 points allowed per 100 possessions (10th) 

All stats from hoopdata.com

One Up

And we're back. After a short stay as a .500 team, we've now once again moved to above the half-water mark with a win over the Spurs. And what a win that was. The story of the game was, in my opinion, the discrepancy between our starters' production and theirs. While three of the five Spurs who began the game didn't score, we had three starters pour in at least 30 points. So while the absence of our bench tonight might be a little disconcerting (we let the Spurs get too close in the fourth and the starting five had to stay in), we should still appreciate the brilliant performances from Kevin Martin, Aaron Brooks and Luis "The Argentine Machine" Scola. So without further ado, I bring to you, the recap. 

The Good

-We were able to get to the free throw line 38 times to the Spurs' 30, for free throw rates of 48.1 and 35.3, respectively. We also shot nearly 90 percent from the stripe while they only made 73 percent of their attempts, meaning we were +12 at the line. In a game this tight, that's the difference. Not only did Martin get to the line at will, as he is accustomed to, he was also able to get us into the bonus, allowing other Rockets to get free throws for the Spurs'...foul play. Yeah, you see what I did there. 

-Kevin Martin finally had a coming out party of sorts, netting 33 points on 24 shots. His shooting percentage wasn't ideal, but he more than made up for it with a perfect 14-14 night from the free throw line, which, incidentally, Luis Scola matched. That last addition doesn't really mean much, I just wanted to extend the previous sentence. And now the paragraph.

-This may seem like a Cop Out (in theaters now, starring Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis), but getting the win was definitely a big part of yesterday, as we had been in a bit of a slide of lately and a win over the rival Spurs could do wonders for our confidence. 

The Bad 

-I don't want to pick nits after an uplifting win like yesterday, but the fourth quarter still bothered me, if only slightly. We struggled to create and finish and allowed a potential blowout to become a tight game, and against better (read: not already decomposing) teams, that could be dangerous. 

-We also struggled on the offensive glass, a trait very uncharacteristic of this team. It's not really a worry, as I'm sure we'll right the ship sooner rather than later, but offensive rebounding has been a substantial part of our success this season and we've been out-rebounded on that two games in a row. Yet, since one of those games was against Dwight Howard, I think we get a pass.

The Ugly

-The Spurs in the first half looked slow, out of sorts, aging and, quite frankly, decrepit. I'm not complaining though, as this allowed us to build up a (needed) 18-point lead in the first half. We're in Utah tonight, so remember to tune in to give the good guys some much needed support from back home. And, as always, go Rockets. 

Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic Game Preview

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, and I probably have, but damn the NBA. After sticking us with back-to-back back-to-back's in our first four games back from the All-Star Game (forgive the superfluous use of "back"), we get to host an Eastern Conference contender just hitting its stride. And to exacerbate our already exacting travails, we play the Magic after losing nine of our last thirteen games, a stretch in which we've looked dogged and unfocused while displaying an alarming predilection for concession rather than persistence. 

But, if there's one truth we as Rockets fans should have already familiarized ourselves with, it's that one of the most egregious offenses a person can commit is to minimize the fighting spirit and willpower of a proven winner (never underestimate the heart of a champion, bitches). And on that note, let's move on to some previewing. 

Trevor Ariza won't play tonight with a "severe" hip-pointer and is expected to be out for a few more games. Hopefully he gets well soon, because as painful as he can be to watch, it never hurts to have an athletic swingman on your active roster. 

Ariza's absence means that newcomer Kevin Martin will get his first start as a Rocket, so hopefully that will be enough to get him going after his recent mini-slump. For all of our sakes, let's pray that he and Brooks got in some good practice time together. 


For both the Magic and your favorite team named after space-traveling vessels, threes are essential. The Magic take 28 a game and we take 23 of our own, although the Magic do averaged 2.1 more makes than we do. Getting out on shooters will be an essential part of tonight's contest, but you don't need to tell Shane Battier twice to keep his hand in his man's face. Or once, for that matter.


Unlike the Rockets, the Magic's dominant center is actually healthy. It's really unfortunate that Yao won't be around tonight, as he always enjoys taking it to Dwight when they go head-to-head. Hayes is going to have his hands full trying to keep Howard out of the paint, and it's going to take a team effort to prevent a 30-15-7 night from the Magic's all-world center. And frankly, even that might not be enough to stop the man. 


Brooks will need to be aggressive to start the game, as Jameer Nelson's knee still isn't healthy, which means he probably won't have the quickness to keep up with ABZ. On the other end of the floor, Brooks will actually need to, you know, play defense, as Nelson, even in his current state, is still a far more capable point guard than TJ Ford ever will be. And yet Ford scored 19 points in the second half against Brooks. So yeah, that was not good. 

The Magic also have one of the best free throw rates in the league, and although Dwight Howard taking 16 free throws isn't exactly the scariest thought in the world, he gets them into the bonus so when Jameer gets fouled on a silly reach at half-court or Rashard Lewis gets tripped up coming off a screen, they too get to go to the line. And those guys aren't shooting anywhere near 60 percent. Playing active defense without fouling will be key tonight, as the last thing an already-potent offense needs is free points at the line.

Expect a highly-contested, very competitive game tonight. We're struggling but know how to get up for the big games, and the Magic are just very damn good. We don't have the size to battle with them down low, but you can bet your ass we're still going to try. It's going to be tough, but if we minimize our mistakes and catch a few breaks, we can definitely come away with the win.


And as a bit of added motivation, we're only one game above .500, so losing tonight means we're nothing more than an average team. I'd like to avoid that, so, with a little more emphasis than usual, go Rockets. 


Houston Rockets: 28-27, 96.2 possessions per game (8th), 103.6 points scored per 100 possessions (18th), 104 points allowed per 100 possessions (15th)


Orlando Magic: 38-19, 94.5 possessions per game (19th), 106.8 points scored per 100 possessions (7th), 94.5 points allowed per 100 possessions (4th)


All stats courtesy of hoopdata.com

Oh No! Mcgrady Is So Much Better Than Kevin Martin: Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers Game Recap

Sarcasm, my friends. The title is in jest, I'd just like to take a moment to reassure our easily startled co-fans who are suddenly regretting the Mcgrady-Martin trade while addressing a few other issues. For starters, Tracy Mcgrady is not back. In no way shape or form is he back, actually. Yeah, he'll averaged 20 a game for the Knicks to close out 2010. The Knicks are also a shoot-first team with no qualms about winning or losing games, a perfect fit for Mcgrady. On a Rockets team all about the whole being greater than the individual and winning at all costs, Mcgrady would have struggled.

To continue, it's not going to be long (right after he gets his guaranteed money, in fact) that T-Mac goes back to his typical drama. He'll get hurt, complain, the usual. And if not, so what? The man poured his heart into his years with us until last season, he deserves success. I don't think he's going to get it, but that doesn't mean we can't root for him. If he enjoys a career renaissance, we should be happy for him. This is the same player who put us on his shoulders and carried us to a 22-game winning streak. So although it may be validating in some sickening way if Mcgrady's career continued it's downward spiral while Kevin Martin blossomed into an absolute superstar, we can't think like that. Mcgrady did all he could and provided us with fantastic memories, and at the end of the day, we were contenders nearly every year with him. So although it may be painful to see him putting up 25 a night for someone else, we should find a way to embrace his success and, most of all, stay away from comparing Martin to Mcgrady.

Yes, Martin and Mcgrady will forever be linked in our minds as we essentially swapped them, but that's unfair to both players to judge them solely through relative performance. Mcgrady would not have succeeded on this Rockets team, and Martin was not brought in to be a replacement for T-Mac. Martin is a versatile, efficient scorer who, and this is critical, can score without dominating the ball. As brilliant as Mcgrady was, scoring with a low usage rate was never a strength of his. Martin is going to love coming off screens, spotting up and letting his teammates do the work for him, something Mcgrady would never be content with, which is why we need to accept and appreciate Martin for who he is while enjoying Mcgrady's success through entirely separate lenses. And that's enough of my going on for now, here's the game recap. 

The Good 

Someone who's not accustomed to being in this section but surely deserves it, Trevor Ariza. He continued his hot shooting yesterday, going 6-11 from the field, including three makes in five tries from beyond the arc. Oh, and all of this was while playing through an injury. He's 14-22 in his last two games, and that makes me smile.

Brooks and Scola were also stellar today, as they had 26 and 25, respectively. Scola especially looked very comfortable as the primary power forward, and that may or may not have to do with Landry's absence.

There were a few other good aspects to the game, like shooting 12-25 from three, winning the rebounding battle, having 28 assists on 42 made baskets and getting to the line 29 times, but nothing really noteworthy.

The Bad 

The last fifteen minutes of the game were painful to watch for Rockets fans. With about three minutes left in the third, the Rockets were up 88-79 and looked ready to continue onwards to the win. From that point, the Pacers outscored us by 19 to win by the eventual final margin of ten.

Not coincidentally, TJ Ford (yes, that TJ Ford) had 21 points during that stretch, including 15 in the fourth. If you had told me a week ago that TJ Ford would be the reason the Rockets lost the game, I probably would have screamed. Well no, that's not true. But I wouldn't have believed you.

We also could not stop Danny Granger, who poured in points from all over the floor on his way to 36 points. He's been a bit off this year due to injuries, but looked dominant last night.

Trevor Ariza also re-aggravated his hip flexor, and although he returned to the game it's going to be a situation to monitor, as his game relies heavily on exploding into passing lanes and for dunks. He's been playing heavy minutes this season and hopefully Kevin Martin will allow us to rest Trevor a bit more until he gets healthy.

The Ugly

I hate to do this to you Kevin, I really do, but the ugliest part of this game was Martin's 3-16 shooting night. This is certainly an exception rather than the rule, and don't be surprised of Martin hits many of the looks he was missing yesterday as early as tonight.

Overall it was a slightly disappointing game, and I definitely did not see our late-game collapse coming, especially against the Pacers, but we have to bounce back tonight in an important divisional game against the Hornets. And, as always, go Rockets.