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.