NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Battling for the final playoff spot in the Western
Conference and facing back-to-back games, the Houston Rockets got just what they
needed against the New Jersey Nets—a laugher, courtesy of Kyle Lowry(notes).
Lowry had 16 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and the Rockets moved
within two games of eighth-place Memphis in the West by cruising to a 112-87 win
over New Jersey on Tuesday night.
“We’re just playing. We’re happy, we’re having fun,” Lowry said after the
Rockets (39-35) won for the sixth time in seven games. “We just go out there
and we’re flowing. We know who is going to get the ball and how we’re going to
score. We’re confident and we’re finally getting something going.”
The Rockets have made an amazing run, posting a 17-7 record since Feb. 2 to
inch within striking distance of the idle Grizzlies (41-33) with eight games
left in the regular season.
“This was a good win for us. I thought we came out with a lot of energy,”
Houston coach Rick Adelman said. “We played very well offensively. We had the
ball movement and we pushed it at them from the very start. That’s what we
wanted to do.”
Kevin Martin(notes) added 20 points for the Rockets, who make up for the lack of a
superstar by playing a team game. They had 30 assists on their 46 baskets and
controlled the boards with 56 rebounds, including a game-high 14 by Chuck Hayes(notes).
Against the struggling Nets, the game was over by halftime as Houston built
an 18-point lead.
That allowed Adelman to rest his starters for long stretches in the second
half with a game in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
“It was important to get guys some rest,” Lowry said. “It’s still a back
to back, it’s still hard. We’ve got to go out there and concentrate and play.
We’re going into a hostile situation against a good team playing for a better
seed in their conference.”
Brook Lopez(notes) had 22 points for the Nets, who lost their third in a row and
seventh in eight games. Deron Williams(notes) missed his sixth straight game for New
Jersey (23-50), which has lost 50 games for the second straight season.
“I’m disappointed,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “We can’t keep writing
these off as bad games. I am a competitor. We expect more. I don’t make excuses.
We just didn’t get it done tonight.”
Patrick Patterson(notes) and Goran Dragic(notes) added 13 points apiece for Houston.
Jordan Farmar(notes) added 12 points and seven assists for New Jersey, while Kris
Humphries(notes) had 13 rebounds.
Lowry, who came in with a sore left foot, made sure Houston had no problem
posting its 10th straight win over the Nets.
The fourth-year point guard who was making a strong run at being the
league’s most improved player, single-handedly did in the Nets in the first
quarter. He scored 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field, hitting all
three of his 3-pointers in helping the Rockets take a 34-21 lead.
“He’s tough,” Johnson said. “I live in the area and know him and have
watched his maturation. When they matched the offer sheet that Cleveland gave
him in the summer, you know why. He has really turned out to be a fine guard,
improved 3-point shooter, good defensively and a hard-nosed player.”
Houston put the game away in the final four minutes of the quarter, scoring
14 straight points in a 17-2 run. Lowry hit a three-point play and a 3-point
basket in the run that also featured four point from Patterson and a 3-point
basket by Chase Budinger(notes), one of 11 in the game for the Rockets.
“It was a culmination of defensive errors and poor offense,” Johnson said.
“Right now with the state of our team, we’re not good enough to survive poor
starts.”
Houston built the lead to 18 at the half and expanded the margin to 26
points in the third quarter.
Notes: Lowry extended his career-best streak of double-figure scoring games
to 15. … The Rockets’ 61 points in the first half marked the 31st time this
season that Houston has scored at least 60 points in a half. … The 10 straight
losses to Houston are the Nets’ longest current losing streak against any NBA
opponent. … The last time the Nets had consecutive 50-loss seasons was
1999-2000 and 00-01.
Read More:
Rockets move closer to 8th, rout Nets (AP)