The Houston Rockets are back on track with their longest winning streak in
four seasons, but coach Kevin McHale has a bigger concern – the Milwaukee Bucks.

Houston looks for its eighth straight victory and 12th in a row at home in
this series Wednesday night when the Bucks go for their first three-game road
winning streak in two seasons.

Since losing a season-high four in a row to open the new year, the Rockets
(10-7) have won eight of nine. Monday’s 107-92 victory at Minnesota gave the
team its longest winning streak since a franchise-record 22-game run from Jan.
29-March 16, 2008.

“This is a next-game league,” McHale said following Tuesday’s practice. “You
don’t look behind too much, you don’t look ahead too much. Our biggest challenge
right now is Milwaukee tomorrow night.”

The Rockets open a stretch of three games in four nights, but they won’t
have to travel anywhere for their next four contests. Houston is looking to
match its best start at home since opening 8-1 five years ago.

The Rockets have not dropped a home game to Milwaukee since a 98-93 loss
Nov. 2, 1999.

The Bucks lost 93-84 in their last visit Jan. 17, 2011, to remain the NBA’s
only team without a victory at the eight-year-old Toyota Center.

Milwaukee (6-10), though, has been playing better away from home, winning
its last two after going winless in its first eight road games. However, after
posting wins at New York and Miami, the Bucks failed to record a season-high
third straight victory on Monday, losing 97-92 at home to Atlanta.

“We played well on the road, and we were almost good enough tonight, but
just came up a little short,” Mike Dunleavy said after scoring a season-best 17
points.

The Bucks could have a much better chance of winning three consecutive road
games for the first time since April 6-14, 2010, if Brandon Jennings and Shaun
Livingston – who has started the last three contests – can slow down Kevin
Martin and Kevin Lowry.

Martin is scoring 23.6 points per game during the winning streak – 4.1 more
than his season average. He totaled 59 points as these teams split the two-game
series in 2010-11.

Lowry is averaging 18.1 with 7.9 assists and 7.0 rebounds in the last seven
games after recording his second career triple-double Monday with 16 points, 10
assists and 10 boards.

Backup point guard Goran Dragic leads the Rockets’ reserves with 54 points
during the 7-0 run, while forward Patrick Patterson has 47 with 23 rebounds
during this stretch.

The two combined for 27 of the team’s 36 bench points on Monday.

“It’s always good to get balanced scoring and have everyone contributing to
a win like that,” Lowry said.

Rockets center Samuel Dalembert has been a major contributor since the
team’s last defeat Jan. 11 at San Antonio, averaging 13.1 points, 11.9 boards
and 2.6 blocks.

Bucks center Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 10 rebounds in last season’s
loss in Houston. He scored 24 points with 22 boards and five blocks in a 97-91
home win over the Rockets on Dec. 10, 2010.

Jennings missed the Bucks’ last defeat in Houston with a broken left foot.
The third-year point guard is averaging 27.5 points and 7.0 assists in the last
four games.

The Rockets are going for their first six-game home winning streak reeling
off seven straight from March 14-April 3.

Ex-Timberwolves PG Timberwolves’ Jonny Flynn against Orlando in first half action Saturday January 15, 2011 at Target Center in Minneapolis. (Pioneer Press: Chris Polydoroff)

Houston Rockets point guard Jonny Flynn, making his first return to Target Center for tonight’s game against the Timberwolves, said he was disappointed with fan criticism when he was with Minnesota last season and the speculation about Ricky Rubio joining the team.

Flynn, drafted No. 6 overall by the Timberwolves in 2009, was traded to the Rockets in June during the 2011 draft after two unsuccessful seasons in Minnesota. The Wolves drafted Rubio No. 5 overall in 2009, but he opted to play two more years in Spain before coming to the NBA this season.

“I let that (the Rubio talk) get to me too much,” Flynn said. “Everybody was always talking about Ricky coming here. My two years here was like five years to me. What I went through taught me a lot about life.”

Flynn and Rubio were considered the Timberwolves’ backcourt of the future when the team drafted them. Flynn started 81 games as a rookie, but struggled last season after a slow recovery from hip surgery in the summer of 2010 to repair a torn labrum. Flynn was limited to 53 games and made only eight starts. He averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 assists in 16.9 minutes.

Flynn didn’t fare well in then-coach Kurt Rambis’ triangle offense, raising doubts about his future with the team and frustrating Timberwolves fans. Flynn said he “tried to stay a professional” about the situation.

“I remember all of that,” Flynn said of the criticism. “It felt like we were playing 82 road games last year when your own crowd was

on you. What did I do to deserve that? I never spoke bad about Minnesota or the organization.”

Flynn said he’s “at peace” with the Rockets (9-7), who enter tonight’s game against the Timberwolves (7-9) with a six-game winning streak. Former Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale will face his former team for the first time as Rockets coach.

Flynn, who said his hip is “100-percent healthy,” has appeared in only five games with the Rockets and has not played since Jan. 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Flynn, averaging 3.6 points and 3.4 assists, is in a rotation at point guard behind veterans Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic.

Flynn’s best game with the Rockets was Jan. 6 against Oklahoma City when he had seven points, six assists and one steal in a season-high 20 minutes.

“I’m just staying ready and waiting for my opportunity,” Flynn said. “I feel much more positive about my situation.”

Follow Ray Richardson at twitter.com/twolvesnow

Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale

McHale back, but on the other bench

There will be a different version of Kevin McHale coaching the Houston Rockets tonight at Target Center.

He doesn’t have an interim tag in front of his name, and he didn’t take over the job in midseason. That’s one of the memories Timberwolves fans have of McHale, who twice left his front-office position as vice president of basketball operations to replace a struggling coach: Flip Saunders in 2005 and Randy Wittman in 2009.

McHale, 54, who has had a fresh start since Rockets owner Leslie Alexander signed him to a four-year contract June 1, returns to the Twin Cities with a team on a six-game winning streak.

“I always thought of him as more of a coach than a GM,” Wolves TV analyst Jim Petersen said of McHale. “He’s the smartest guy I’ve been around as to how to play the game. He has the ability to think the game at an elite level.”

Ironically, the coach on the Wolves’ bench, Rick Adelman, is the man McHale replaced in Houston. Alexander believed it was time for a change after Adelman failed to lead the Rockets to the NBA playoffs the previous two seasons. Though the Wolves (7-9) are still below .500, Adelman has helped raise the interest level in the team locally and around the country.

There still could be nostalgic feelings for Adelman after coaching four years in Houston and leading the Rockets to playoff appearances in his first two seasons. Wolves assistants Jack Sikma and T.R. Dunn were with him in Houston.

Nine

players on the Rockets’ roster played for Adelman last season: Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry, Hasheem Thabeet, Patrick Patterson, Courtney Lee, Goran Dragic, Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill. Kevin Love is the only remaining Wolves player from 2008-09, when McHale coached the team for 63 games.

Houston finished 43-39 last season, missing the playoffs by only three games despite injury-plagued seasons for Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. The Rockets’ surprising run without two of their stars helped sway Adelman to take the Wolves’ job.

“The response I got from those players the last two years in Houston was very gratifying,” Adelman said. “It made me feel I can do this. I feel I have a lot left in the tank. We lost everything when we lost Yao and McGrady, but it turned out to be a blessing. We got the players to believe they could win, and they responded. I see the same situation here.”

McHale and Adelman have gotten off to good starts. The Rockets (9-7) were 3-7 before the six-game winning streak; the Wolves are 4-2 in their past six games after a 3-7 start.

McHale survived a tough early stretch with the Rockets and seemed to make a statement that he has the motivation to be an effective coach. Motivation was a concern in the Wolves’ organization when he replaced Saunders and Wittman. Rather than pursue another coaching job when Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn released him after the 2008-09 season, McHale joined TNT and NBA TV to work as a studio and game analyst.

“The thing about Kevin is that he’s always been a competitor,” said Rockets assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff, a Wolves assistant under Wittman and Kurt Rambis. “He had a great time doing TV, but from the talks we had, he really missed game nights. That’s what drives him, the preparation of games. The year off helped him step away from it for a while. While he was doing TV, there was some interest in him to coach.”

McHale was 20-43 (.317) with the Wolves when he finished the 2008-09 season after Wittman was fired. He was 19-12 (.613) in 2004-05 after Saunders’ exit but chose not to keep the job.

In the offseason, McHale hired Dwane Casey, who was fired two years later. McHale promoted Wittman to replace Casey. There were few signs during those difficult days for the Wolves that McHale had visions of becoming a full-time coach.

“Kevin had to go through a learning process of what he did and didn’t want to do,” Petersen said. “He’s been through a lot of battles. When you’re out of the game for a while, it wakes you up to reality. You want to get back into it. Because he’s so competitive, I can see him coaching long term. He’s absolutely married to the game.”

Follow Ray Richardson at twitter.com/twolvesnow.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 21, 2012

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets solved their fourth-quarter problems from the previous game and put away the San Antonio Spurs.

Kevin Martin scored 25 points, Kyle Lowry had 14 points and eight assists and the streaking Rockets took advantage of Tim Duncan’s absence in a 105-102 victory Saturday night.

Goran Dragic scored 14 and Samuel Dalembert added 12 points and a season-high six blocks for the Rockets, who have won six in a row.

The Rockets were coming off a 90-88 win over New Orleans in which they tied a franchise record with only seven points in the final quarter. They outscored the Spurs 28-27 in the fourth on Saturday, shooting 59 percent from the field (10 for 17).

“It was definitely great to get over that hump,” Lowry said.

Tony Parker had 24 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Spurs, who were playing their fourth game in five nights. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich rested Duncan, who played 25 minutes in Friday night’s loss to Sacramento. Tiago Splitter had a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who dropped to 1-6 on the road.

San Antonio trailed 101-99 with a minute left. The Rockets nearly lost the ball in the backcourt, but Dragic picked it up and just beat the shot clock with a one-hander to put Houston up by four.

Richard Jefferson sank a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, but Martin made two free throws to put it away for the Rockets.

“Some days, there are no excuses. They made plays at the end of the game,” Jefferson said. “Tony had a great game, Tiago had a great game, two teams were battling back and forth. They made the right plays, we had a shot to tie it, and we don’t get it done. Simple enough.”

The Rockets shot 56 percent (44 of 79) to make up for the Spurs’ 43-32 edge in rebounds.

“This was a tough one,” Splitter said. “We did a good job, but they hit unbelievable shots at the end.”

Houston opened the game with a 9-0 run after the Spurs missed their first four shots and coughed up three turnovers in the first 2½ minutes.

The Rockets continued to shoot well in the second quarter, but the Spurs began scoring inside to stay close. Parker turned a steal into a fast-break layup, then hit a driving one-hander to tie it 41-all.

Dalembert dunked with a minute left in the half, and Houston led 55-49 at the break. Parker had 13 points and seven assists in the first half.

“Tony was kind of in the one-man-game thing, going mid-screen,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said. “He was just making plays.”

Matt Bonner and Jefferson opened the second half with 3-pointers to tie it again. Martin then scored the next seven points, finishing the burst with his second 3-pointer.

With Parker on the bench for much of the third quarter, the Spurs rallied again and Splitter’s layup cut the deficit to 72-71. Parker returned with 2:21 left in the quarter, and his long jumper just before the quarter buzzer drew the Spurs to 77-75.

Parker then came out of the game and did knee bends behind the bench, with a towel and a heating pad pressed against his left hip. San Antonio led 84-83 when he returned with 7:39 remaining.

“We believe we can win with whatever lineup we put out there,” Bonner said.

Lowry’s 3-pointer with 3:07 left put Houston up 99-92. The Rockets went 0 for 8 from 3-point range in Thursday’s win over New Orleans.

“We made shots,” Lowry said. “We tried to push the tempo a little bit and use our speed and quickness to our advantage.”

Bonner hit a 3 and Gary Neal made a running shot to quickly get the Spurs back in it. But Dragic ended up with the ball after a scramble and hit a mid-range jumper.

“Guys were making plays,” Martin said. “Kyle played great, Goran played great and then defensively, we were at our best, once again. It was a grind-it-out game.”

Notes

• The Spurs are 1-3 starting their stretch of 16 of 21 games on the road.
• Splitter recorded his second double-double.
• Parker was four assists shy of his career high, set last season.
• The Rockets have held double-digit leads in nine straight games, tying the longest streak since 2008-09.
• The teams were playing for the third time this season, and wrap up their four-game season series in San Antonio on Feb. 1.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 16, 2012

WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards have the NBA’s worst record, and their coach believes some of the players are trying to be too flashy.

Early in the third quarter of a 114-106 loss to the Houston Rockets, Washington center JaVale McGee had a breakaway. Instead of choosing simply to dunk, McGee, who finished second in the NBA’s dunk contest last February, threw the ball against the backboard and stuffed it.

His coach, Flip Saunders, glared at him and watched as the Rockets promptly turned a four-point lead into a 19-point advantage. McGee sat out the last nine minutes of the game while John Wall’s 38 points made it somewhat competitive.

Saunders couldn’t hide his disdain for his fourth-year center’s antics.

“That’s unacceptable. Maybe I’m too old school. Save that for the All-Star game,” Saunders said. “We have some players that look for highlights instead of substance.”

Washington lost for the 12th time in 13 games, and its next four games are against Oklahoma City, Denver, Boston and Philadelphia.

“Apparently if you get a fast break and throw it off the backboard in the third quarter and you’re 1-11, you’re not supposed to do stuff like that,” McGee said.

Saunders has called out his 22-year-old center several times for showboat plays. McGee defended his play, and said he didn’t regret it.

“I feel like I was trying to get the team hyped and make a good play. I felt like we did that – and we went on a run there,” McGee said.

Actually, Washington didn’t start their run until the fourth quarter — with McGee on the bench. Wall’s 18 points in the quarter cut the Rockets’ lead to five with 4:47 remaining.

“They made a little run on us, but part of that was just our turnovers and we missed some shots,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said. “I was mildly concerned, but I thought our guys would get it back.”

Kevin Martin scored 25 points and Samuel Dalembert added 20 for the Rockets.

Wall scored his career-high 38 on 13-of-22 shooting. He began the game making under 35 percent this season.

“I know it’s great to have those type of numbers, but it don’t mean nothing if you don’t have a win, so I just think I had a good game, but I didn’t get the win,” Wall said.

Luis Scola had 18 and Kyle Lowry had 16 for the Rockets in their highest-scoring game of the season.

Houston outscored the Wizards 25-6 during an eight-minute stretch in the third quarter. Dalembert hit all six of his shots in the period.

The Rockets made 25 of 26 foul shots in winning their third straight game.

Martin hit all 10 of his free throws. In Saturday’s win against Portland, he made 12 of 13. He also had a career-high eight assists against the Wizards.

In his first 11 games this season, Martin averaged 3.4 free-throw attempts per game — well below his career average. He says he’s adjusting to a new NBA rule that restricts shooting fouls.

“I’ve got to adapt to it,” Martin said. “Just be aggressive. If they want to give me the call, they will. If not, I’ve got to find other ways.”

Washington lost despite its highest point total of the season. Jordan Crawford had 17 points.

Crawford ended the first quarter with a 38-foot 3-point shot to give Washington a 28-27 lead. In the second quarter, Houston went on a 17-4 run to take a 52-44 lead with 3:32 remaining.

Notes

• Washington F Andray Blatche, who missed three games with a sprained right shoulder, returned and had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Blatche and Wall were assessed with technical fouls within a minute in the third quarter.
• Wizards F Rashard Lewis was out with a sore right knee.
• Rockets swingman Courtney Lee missed his eighth straight game with a strained right calf.
• McHale fired Saunders when he was general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves in February 2005. It was their first on-court meeting as NBA coaches.
• The Rockets have held double-digit leads in their last six games. Last year, they never had double-digit leads in more than five straight.

After two days of rest , the Oklahoma City Thunder will play the Houston Rockets on Jan. 6. After starting the season with a five-game winning streak, the Thunder have dropped two straight games, one each to the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trailblazers.

Perhaps a streaky season will the norm since teams will be playing 66 games in just over four months. That averages to one game every two days for most teams. With not many breaks, players may get exhausted even faster because of the grind of the schedule.

Hopefully that will favor the younger Oklahoma City squad bolstered by stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The downside is that with fewer games, there are fewer opportunities to climb back into playoff contention or to get a higher seed in the playoffs. A loss here and a loss there will be more critical with fewer games on the schedule.

How the Thunder respond to their two-game losing streak will be an early determination of their playoff hopes. The Northwest Division is a tough one yet again with three teams competing for the division crown. The Trailblazers and Denver Nuggets are right there with the Thunder in the first part of the season.

Last year, the same three teams made the playoffs. It is still early in the season. Yet the Western Conference is already shaking out differently in 2012. The Southwest Division has San Antonio with the only winning record in the division. The Pacific Division had just one playoff team last year, but now has both Los Angeles franchises at the top.

Expect some early swings in division leads and playoff seeds. By the time the All-Star break comes around, there may finally be some distance between teams in terms of division leaders and playoff wannabes.

Still, it behooves head coach Scott Brooks and everyone on the Thunder to take a look at how they won five games and then lost two. With Denver and Portland breathing down their necks, the Thunder can ill afford to have many more losses lest they dig an insurmountable hole. The team has to mature quickly and play at an even keel if they are to make the playoffs for the third straight year.

William Browning is a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder ever since the team relocated from Seattle. As the closest NBA team to Branson, Mo., the Thunder serve as the regional team for southwest Missouri.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Steve Perrin

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Jan 5, 2012 – Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Clippers demonstrated exactly what has the sports world so excited. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Clippers high-powered offense was firing on all cylinders for the first time this season as L.A. blew out the Houston Rockets 116-89.

The Clippers were the story of the brief NBA offseason. Our national sports media loves nothing more than a compelling narrative, and this year the designated story is Chris Paul choosing to join the hapless Clippers, teaming up with Blake Griffin to turn the perennial doormat into the most compelling team in the league. Invariably, the narrative gets a bit ahead of itself – - many have decided the Clippers will be not just exciting, but also a title contender – - but why let a little reality get in the way of a good story?

Through four games, the Clippers were good, but nowhere near the hype that they had generated. Sure, Chris Paul was electric in the fourth quarter of the Christmas Day win over Golden State. Yes, there were enough highlight reel dunks to keep SportsCenter moving forward. But the team was 2-2, and had looked pretty ordinary in a couple of bad losses. It was all to be expected from a team with three new starters, including a backcourt that was acquired about a week before the first game, but it wasn’t satisfying to a basketball public looking to Lob City to help them forget the dark days of the lockout.

In their fifth game, the Clippers broke out the full Lob City arsenal. Straight out of the gate they hung 41 first quarter points on the Rockets and never trailed after taking a 12-10 lead. Paul was clinical in putting up 20 points on only 14 shots, along with 10 assists and 3 steals before taking the fourth quarter off — it was the first of many 20-10 games in his Clippers career no doubt. On back to back plays in the third quarter, Paul hit DeAndre Jordan with a lob from the pick and roll in the half court, followed by a halfcourt lob to Griffin in transition. They were Paul’s final assists of the evening, and the final nails in Houston’s coffin, as the lead stretched to 85-62 and the benches soon took the court.

The stat of the night for the Clippers isn’t 57 percent shooting or 62 points in the paint or 22 fast break points or scoring a season high 116 – - it’s seven turnovers. For a team that was 29th out of 30 in the NBA last season in turnovers committed, the new backcourt of Paul and Chauncey Billups is a godsend. We know they can score, and now they take care of the ball as well – - they didn’t have to play a lot of defense Wednesday night, but if they can figure that part out, they could be very good indeed.

For the Rockets, this is a game they’d just like to forget. On the second night of a back-to-back in L.A. after losing to the Lakers on Tuesday, they just ran into a buzzsaw. It happens in the NBA — you move on. Kyle Lowry continued his stellar early season play, and tried to keep his team in the game, nailing three long threes in the first half among his 17 points. In the end, though, while Lowry and Luis Scola did a decent job of scoring, Houston was wholly incapable of keeping the Clippers from running away with the game.

Welcome to Lob City.

For more on the Clippers, visit Clips Nation. For more on the Rockets, visit The Dream Shake.

Read More: Chris Paul (G – LAC), Blake Griffin (F – LAC), Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers, Jan 4, 2012 10:30 PM EST

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Blake Griffin and Chris Paul team up to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 117-89 demolition of the Houston Rockets Thursday morning (Manila time).
 

Griffin had 22 points and nine rebounds while Paul went for a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists to hand the Rockets their fourth loss in six outings.

By Eric Stephen

– Managing Editor

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Jan 2, 2012 – The Los Angeles Lakers look to rebound from Sunday’s loss as they welcome the Houston Rockets to Staples Center on Tuesday night. The Lakers have split their first six games of the season, which were played in a span of eight days, including a weekend split against the Denver Nuggets with each team winning at home.

Kobe Bryant made just six of 28 shots in Sunday’s 99-90 road loss to the Nuggets, and has made just 12 of 46 field goals (26.1%) in the last two games. Bryant also had six turnovers on Sunday night and missed seven of his eight three-point attempts. Per the great Basketball-Reference, no Laker in the last 27 years has shot so many times and made so few as Kobe did on Sunday night, the only Laker to miss more than 20 shots in a game during that span.

The game was so bad it prompted C.A. Clark at Silver Screen and Roll to label Kobe’s effort “the culmination of every negative Kobe Bryant stereotype you’ve ever heard. It was one of the most actively selfish games you will ever see in the game of basketball, in part because if most any other player tried to get away with what Kobe did tonight, the coach would pull said player in a heartbeat.”

Andrew Bynum has been strong in his return to the Lakers after missing the first four games via suspension. After grabbing 29 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks in Saturday’s home win over Denver, Bynum followed it up the next night with 18 points, 16 rebounds, and one block. He has made 20 of his 30 field goal attempts in his two games.

The Lakers won their season series against the Rockets last season, and have won the season series against Houston in each of the last three years. The Lakers have beaten the Rockets in eight of their last 10 meetings. Kevin Martin leads the Rockets in scoring so far this season, averaging 19.3 points per contest. Perhaps Martin can pose for a photo with teammate Luis Scola (15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds per game) and Pau Gasol in a Chris Paul trade ‘what if’ stance.

The Rockets (2-2) have played just four games to date, winning both of their home games and losing both of their road contests. They have been off for two days after beating the previously unbeaten Atlanta Hawks at home on Saturday.

Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. PST game will be televised by Fox Sports West. For more Lakers basketball news and information, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

Read More: Kevin Martin (G – HOU), Pau Gasol (C – LAL), Andrew Bynum (C – LAL), Kobe Bryant (G – LAL), Luis Scola (F – HOU), Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, Jan 3, 2012 7:30 PM PST

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Once tipoff approaches, Pau Gasol will arrive at Staples Center, go through starting lineup introductions and greet his opponent at halfcourt.

Had NBA Commissioner David Stern not interfered in a three-team trade, the Lakers-Rockets game Tuesday would have featured Gasol in different circumstances. He would play at center instead of power forward. He would wear a red uniform instead of a gold one. He would match up against his former teammate Andrew Bynum instead of forward Luis Scola. But Gasol maintains he won’t think about such scenarios once he actually steps foot on the Staples Center court.

“Maybe one or two [thoughts], but once I get into the game I’m too focused right now to try to help the team win,” Gasol said. 

The Lakers (3-3) have plenty of issues entering Tuesday’s game against the Rockets (2-2), what with a new coaching staff, Kobe Bryant’s torn ligament in his right wrist and the team’s inconsistency in closing out games. But that pales to what Houston faces with Yao Ming’s retirement, Chuck Hayes and Shane Battier leaving via free agency and a large void at the center spot.

That’s partly why Gasol remained relieved Stern rejected a trade that would have sent him to Houston, Chris Paul to the Lakers and Scola, Lamar Odom and Kevin Martin to the New Orleans Hornets. After winning two NBA championships and appearing in three consecutive Finals, the last thing Gasol wanted was to join a mid-tier team. 

“It was going to be kind of a rebuilding situation,” Gasol said. “You’d try to be competitive. It wasn’t so much about the franchise or the city. It was just about the situation and how different it would’ve been than from what I’m used to now. That would’ve been very hard for me to adjust to, but if it happened and had gone down, I still would’ve done my best to do what I do and be the player I am and continue to play my best.”

Instead, Gasol has vowed to do so with the Lakers. Even though he felt hurt over the Lakers’ attempt to ship him, that didn’t sour his enthusiasm the way it did for Odom. He remained professional. He arrived to training camp and avoided talking much about it with teammates. And he frequently talked with the media, aware that talks about his flimsy future would often arise. 

“I think he’s done well with it,” said Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who’s been connected in trade rumors involving Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony in past seasons. “He understands it’s a business and everybody is up for grabs at any time. It’s nothing personal … All you can do is play well and make sure your team needs you.”

Gasol has done just that. He has averaged 17.3 points on a 55.4% clip, 8.7 rebounds and two blocks through the Lakers’ first six games. That’s a far improvement from his tepid playoff showing last season, he had 13.1 points on 42% shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

“Pau’s playing great,” Coach Mike Brown said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the way he’s playing. He’s still finding his way just like the rest of us are finding our way. He’s scored the ball well for us, he’s rebounded the ball fairly well for us and he’s done a nice job facilitating.”

RELATED:

Pau Gasol handles trade speculation differently than Lamar Odom

Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum have larger responsibilities

Pau Gasol says nothing to Chris Paul

– Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Houston Rockets January 3 in the Staples Center after a much-needed day of rest. The Lakers split their series with the Denver Nuggets and now they will see a Houston team that is tough to figure out.

Andrew Bynum is never afraid of contact under the bucket.
Photo By Bridget Samuels Wikimedia Commons

The Rockets have a 2-2 record and their games have ranged from a 20-point win over the aging San Antonio Spurs to a 20-point shellacking at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. This early in the season it is difficult to measure any NBA teams as they play back-to-back games and struggle to learn new offenses and new faces.

The teams with the advantages are teams with little or no personnel changes and teams that have not switched coaches since last season. The Lakers are dealing with both situations and it shows on nights when they play back-to-back like they did with the Nuggets over the New Years holiday.

The Lakers age showed in their game with Denver and the altitude did not help the veteran team. A rested Andrew Bynum contributed in his first two games of the NBA season and he capped off the home and home with Denver by hauling down 16 rebounds and taking the pressure off Pau Gasol down low.

Gasol scored 20 points in the Lakers 99-90 loss to Denver but it shows that the Lakers have a tough time winning when Kobe Bryant gets marginalized by an aggressive defense. Bryant scored 16 points against Denver and this Lakers team must pitch in when Kobe has an off night.

Bryant will be tough to contain against the Rockets with a day of a rest under his belt. Bryant went 1-8 from three-point range and shot a miserable 6-28 overall from the field against the Nuggets in the altitude at Denver but that is already a memory and Bryant will be back in the comfort of Staples Center for his game against the Rockets.

Metta World Peace has been hard to get a handle on early in the season. He went without a point in the first game against the Nuggets and then went 1-4 from three-point territory in the second game while scoring 10 points.

The Lakers three losses early in the season are a concern but there are still 60 games left on the schedule and the Lakers have a deeper team than last year. New free agent acquisitions like Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts got the Lakers front office laughed at in the off-season but they are making their presence known in the early games.

McRoberts, nicknamed the “White Shadow” by Lakers head coach Mike Brown, is a nice addition off the bench and he has contributed as a change of pace component coming into the game at key times. The season is just beginning and the Lakers nation needs to relax and enjoy watching this team develop into a contender. Starting the season with 10 consecutive wins is nice but this year will be a fun year as the team builds for the post season.

*Todd Jacobs is a native Southern Californian and longtime Los Angeles Lakers fan since the early ’70s.

Sources:

ESPN Clubhouse: Los Angeles Lakers news and stats.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Read More: Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks saw their winning streak snapped with a 95-84 loss to the Houston Rockets to begin a three game road trip.

One of the problems with falling behind early is that it forces a team to play from behind which uses up more energy. The Hawks were lacking in that department Saturday night as they were slow to cut off penetration, slow on help defense and slow on closing out on shooters. The result was nine three pointers made for the Rockets and seemingly one to hold the Hawks at bay every single time they threatened.

Atlanta cut the Houston lead to 79-73 with 5:18 remaining only to see a Josh Smith turnover lead to a Jordan Hill layup and later after a Joe Johnson offensive foul, Chase Budinger’s three pointer put the Rockets back up 84-73.

Kevin Martin turned in his third straight solid performance pouring in 27 points while shooting 6-11 from beyond-the-arc. Luis Scola finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. Chase Budinger finished with 17 points while Jordan Hill scored 11 and grabbed 15 rebounds. Point guard Kyle Lowry didn’t make a field goal in the game but was a huge factor by dishing out a NBA season-high 18 assists.

Joe Johnson and Al Horford led Atlanta with 15 points each. Tracy McGrady added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench while Josh Smith added 12 points and seven rebounds. Jeff Teague finished with six points and five assists but had only attempted one field goal through the first three quarters of the game finishing 3-7.

For more on this game Atlanta fans should check out Peachtree Hoops, Houston Rockets fans should stop by The Dream Shake. For updates on everything NBA Basketball, fans should check out SB Nation’s NBA Basketball hub.

Read More: Joe Johnson (G – ATL), Marvin Williams (F – ATL), Josh Smith (F – ATL), Kevin Martin (G – HOU), Kyle Lowry (G – HOU), Al Horford (C – ATL), Luis Scola (F – HOU), Jeff Teague (G – ATL), Chase Budinger (F – HOU), Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks survived an early barrage of hot shooting from the Houston Rockets and trail 51-44 at halftime. The Hawks went inside in the second quarter and briefly pulled to within three points before three point buckets from Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger gave the Rockets some cushion.

Houston hit half of their 10 attempts from beyond-the-arc in the first half on their way to 46 percent shooting. The Rockets also hold a 24-20 rebounding advantage that includes seven on the offensive glass. The Hawks got to the free throw line 10 times in the first half but failed to capitalize by only hitting five.

Josh Smith leads Atlanta with 10 points and four rebounds but was one of the main culprits in Atlanta’s free throw woes going just 2-6. Joe Johnson hit half of his eight attempts and has nine points to go along with two assists and two blocked shots. Marvin Williams and Al Horford each finished the half with eight points. Jeff Teague didn’t attempt a shot in the first half and has four assists. Atlanta will need him to be much more aggressive in the second half.

Kevin Martin leads all scorers with 13 points including 3-4 from three-point range. Luis Scola went to the bench early in the second with three personal fouls but has 10 points. Chase Budinger also has 10 points for Houston. Kyle Lowry is scoreless in the game but has had an impact with nine first half assists.

For more on this game Atlanta fans should check out Peachtree Hoops, Houston Rocketsfans should stop by The Dream Shake. For updates on everything NBA Basketball, fans should check out SB Nation’s NBA Basketball hub.

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Zach Randolph scored 23 points, Marc Gasol added 20, and the Memphis Grizzlies earned their first victory of the season, beating the Houston Rockets 113-93 on Friday night.

Randolph shot 11 of 14 and grabbed nine rebounds. Gasol and Rudy Gay, who finished with 10 points, each had eight boards as Memphis outrebounded the Rockets 42-33.

Six Grizzlies finished in double figures, including Jeremy Pargo’s 14 and 13 by Quincy Pondexter.

Kevin Martin led the Rockets with 21 points, while Kyle Lowry had 15 points and eight assists. Rookie Chandler Parsons scored 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, all in the fourth quarter.

Memphis shot 56 percent and forced 20 Houston turnovers. The Grizzlies put away the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Rockets 31-16.

Memphis opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run for a double-digit lead and eventually carried a 57-51 lead into the locker room, shooting 56 percent.

Randolph had 15 in the half, while Gasol scored 13. Martin had 19 points at the break for the Rockets and Lowry contributed 13, going a combined 10 of 16 from the field.

Memphis extended its lead by opening the second half with an 18-7 run, claiming a 75-58 margin just past the midway point of the third period.

The Grizzlies continued to pour on the offense, fueled by defense. The Rockets were 6 of 20 in the quarter, leading to Memphis outscoring Houston 31-16, giving the Grizzlies an 88-67 lead entering the fourth.

Houston made a small dent in the advantage as Parsons began hitting, scoring all his points in the fourth quarter. He was 5 of 9 from the field, connecting on all three of his shots outside the arc.

But even with a rally behind the rookie, the Rockets never really threatened.

NOTES:  Hasheem Thabeet, drafted by the Grizzlies with the No. 2 overall pick in 2009, returned to the FedExForum for the first time since he was traded to the Rockets last February. He was on the inactive list for Friday’s game. .Rockets coach Kevin McHale said fast-paced teams seem to be dominating the early games in the league, partially because of the short training camp. “Open court, free-flowing basketball is pretty instinctual to most of the NBA players,” McHale said before the game. “You don’t have to have as much structure in that as you do when you get sets. .A lot of things happen in those five-man sets with 14 seconds on the shot clock that are not good right now in the NBA.” .Patrick Patterson, in his second season out of Kentucky, saw his first action of the season after being inactive for the first two games with a right ankle injury. .Grizzlies starting point guard Mike Conley did not dress for the game, still suffering from a left ankle injury suffered in the opening minutes of Memphis’ Wednesday night loss to Oklahoma City.

Zach Randolph led the Memphis Grizzlies in scoring, though coach Lionel Hollins wanted to talk about something else.

“That’s the best defense I’ve seen Zach play since he’s been here,” Hollins said after Randolph’s 23 points led the Grizzlies to their first victory of the season, 113-93 over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

Marc Gasol, who was 6 of 8 from the field, added 20, as the Grizzlies had six players in double figures. Randolph shot 11 of 14 and grabbed nine rebounds. Gasol and Rudy Gay, who finished with 10 points, each had eight boards as Memphis outrebounded the Rockets 42-33.

“Any time you have Randolph and Gasol go 17 of 22, you are going to have major issues,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said.

Randolph, who doesn’t have a reputation as a strong defender, was part of a Grizzlies front line that held Houston starters Chase Budinger, Luis Scola and Jordan Hill to a total of 17 points, 11 from Budinger.

While Randolph didn’t necessarily agree with Hollins’ assessment of the defensive effort being his best, he did acknowledge trying to concentrate more on that end of the floor.

“That’s what I’m trying to focus on, just better D, helping my guys out and being in the right position,” Randolph said, adding, “Defense wins games. I know I can score with the best of them, and rebound with the best of them. (Working) on defense there’s going to be a trickle-down effect, and everybody gets to playing defense and moving their feet and helping each other out.”

Jeremy Pargo, starting in place of injured Memphis point guard Mike Conley, finished with 14 points, while Quincy Pondexter, picked up in a preseason trade with New Orleans, had 13.

Kevin Martin led the Rockets with 21 points, while Kyle Lowry had 15 points and eight assists. Rookie Chandler Parsons scored 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, all in the fourth quarter.

Memphis shot 56 percent and forced 20 Houston turnovers. The Grizzlies put away the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Rockets 31-16.

The victory was another step in Memphis establishing its identity as an inside force that carried the Grizzlies to the semifinals of last season’s Western Conference playoffs.

“Defensively and offensively, we can get a lot better,” Gasol said, “but this is more who we are. You saw some things last game (Wednesday’s 98-95 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder) and today for longer periods, we played better.”

Memphis opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run for a double-digit lead and eventually carried a 57-51 lead into the locker room, shooting 56 percent.

Randolph had 15 in the half, while Gasol scored 13. Martin had 19 points at the break for the Rockets and Lowry contributed 13, going a combined 10 of 16 from the field.

“We started off the game, and (Randolph) made some shot that we didn’t want him to take, those long jump shots, and he just got on a roll,” McHale said. “We couldn’t stop him.”

Memphis extended its lead by opening the second half with an 18-7 run, claiming a 75-58 margin just past the midway point of the third period.

The Grizzlies continued to pour on the offense, fueled by defense. The Rockets were 6 of 20 in the quarter, leading to Memphis outscoring Houston 31-16, giving the Grizzlies an 88-67 lead entering the fourth.

Houston made a small dent in the advantage as Parsons began hitting, scoring all his points in the fourth quarter. He was 5 of 9 from the field, connecting on all three of his shots outside the arc.

But even with a rally behind the rookie, the Rockets never really threatened.

“I think as guards, we should help our big men,” Lowry said. “They had their hands full given those two (Randolph and Gasol) are really great players. They definitely wore down our defense.”

Meanwhile, Memphis players are recognizing the importance of defense on their own end of the floor, and that an aggressive approach leads to more scoring opportunities.

And Randolph was the one getting the accolades for his defense.

“He understands for us to go to the next level, we need everybody to be engaged defensively,” Gasol said.

NOTES: Hasheem Thabeet, drafted by the Grizzlies with the No. 2 overall pick in 2009, returned to the FedExForum for the first time since he was traded to the Rockets last February. He was on the inactive list for Friday’s game. .McHale said fast-paced teams seem to be dominating the early games in the league, partially because of the short training camp. “Open court, free-flowing basketball is pretty instinctual to most of the NBA players,” McHale said before the game. “You don’t have to have as much structure in that as you do when you get sets. .A lot of things happen in those five-man sets with 14 seconds on the shot clock that are not good right now in the NBA.” .Patrick Patterson, in his second season out of Kentucky, saw his first action of the season after being inactive for the first two games with a right ankle injury. .Grizzlies starting point guard Mike Conley did not dress for the game, still suffering from a left ankle injury suffered in the opening minutes of Memphis’ Wednesday night loss to Oklahoma City.