Read More: Joakim Noah (C – CHI), Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets

Shooting guard Rip Hamilton is back and the Chicago Bulls have a lead against the Houston Rockets at halftime, a day after being blown out against the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder. Chicago will take a 51-40 lead into the halftime at the United Center led by a very strong half from center Joakim Noah. The Bulls were behind by as many as eight points earlier in the game.

Noah has 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Luol Deng has eight points and four rebounds. Hamilton has six points and three assists. John Lucas III (six points) and Kyle Korver (five points) also played well for Chicago off the bench.

Goran Dragic has 13 points for the Rockets. Power forward Luis Scola has 10 points and five rebounds. Marcus Camby has eight points and six rebounds for Houston at the half.

For more on this game, stay with SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull and for more on the Rockets, head over to The Dream Shake. For news, notes and analysis from around the league, check out SB Nation’s NBA news hub.

HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Rockets’ big men dominated Golden State on Thursday, with one of the NBA’s greatest centers clapping in approval from his courtside seat.

Rookie Chandler Parsons had 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, Samuel Dalembert added 15 points and 10 boards and the Rockets routed the Warriors 109-83 on the same night the franchise honored Hakeem Olajuwon and Houston’s championship teams of the 1990s.

Goran Dragic added 17 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who outrebounded Golden State 48-31, blocked six shots and scored 58 points in the paint.

”When you stay big and they go small, you’ve got to really make them pay,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said. ”You’ve got to be able to block shots and really control the paint and we were able to do that.”

Richard Jefferson scored 14 points and David Lee added 12 for the Warriors, who’ve lost five of their last six games.

”To win games, we have to be the hardest working team on the floor every single night,” Golden State coach Mark Jackson said.

The Rockets maintained their hold on the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference by beating Golden State for the 13th time in the last 15 meetings. The Warriors have lost seven straight games in Houston dating to December 2007.

Olajuwon, the NBA’s career leader in blocks, joined former Rockets teammates Clyde Drexler, Mario Elie and Robert Horry for the pregame unveiling of a mural honoring Houston’s two championship teams in 1994 and ’95.

The quartet sat courtside with owner Les Alexander as the current Rockets took control of the game.

Houston hit 11 of its first 14 shots, most of them from close range, to quickly build a 14-point lead. Scola started 5 for 6 from the field and flipped in an easy hook shot for a 30-16 lead.

”There were a lot of guys open,” Scola said. ”We were talking early about cuts, and how we can get something going. It’s good when you make up a play, or you talk about something, and then it works. It gives you a lot of confidence and it opens up a lot of things after that.”

Golden State rallied in the second quarter against a Houston lineup of mostly reserves. Jefferson finished a fast break with a dunk and swished a 3-pointer during a 17-5 run that cut the deficit to 37-35.

Dragic and Parsons answered with back-to-back 3-pointers and the Rockets extended the lead again. Parsons, Scola and Dragic were all in double figures by halftime and Houston led 56-47. The Rockets scored 34 points in the paint in the first half.

”When you have athletic big men, you don’t have to always go small against other teams,” Dalembert said. ”I saw an opportunity to go in and just go out there and kill them on the boards.”

Scola started the second half with a three-point play, following a hard collision with Lee. Scola broke free for a layup on Houston’s next possessions, as the Warriors continued to give up easy baskets underneath.

Nate Robinson was called for a flagrant foul when he wrestled down Dragic on a breakaway. Dragic landed hard on his tailbone and slid into the base of the stanchion, but he stayed in the game.

Houston’s left-handed point guard then threw a perfect alley-oop pass to Dalembert for a dunk that made it 68-53 lead five minutes into the third quarter. Dragic sank a 3-pointer later in the quarter to stretch the lead over 20 for the first time.

Dragic also had nine of the Rockets’ 23 assists. He was making his seventh straight start in place of Kyle Lowry, who’s recovering from an illness.

”Goran’s playing great, you can’t even complain,” Parsons said. ”No doubt we want Kyle back, but we haven’t missed a beat with Goran, he’s passing the ball, making big shots and really running our team well.”

The Rockets outrebounded the Warriors 15-4 in the third quarter and took an 84-67 lead to the fourth. Houston’s reserves kept control in the final quarter, and rookie Marcus Morris’ mid-range jumper with 4:19 left put the Rockets over 100 points for the sixth time in eight games.

NOTES: Rockets G Kevin Martin sat out for the sixth straight game with a right shoulder strain. … The Rockets have won 27 consecutive games when holding their opponent below 90 points. … Golden State signed free agent center Mickell Gladness to a 10-day contract. … Warriors C Andris Biedrins (strained groin) sat out for the second straight game.

HOUSTON — There are no shortage of people who are happy about Golden State’s 109-83 loss Thursday to the Houston Rockets. None of them, though, seem to be in the Warriors’ locker room.

“It bothers me, and I know it bothers a lot of guys on the team,” guard Nate Robinson said of the talk about tanking. “I don’t think that’s something we’re looking at. We’re going out trying to play. No one is trying to lose on purpose. That’s preposterous.”

After all, the Warriors (19-26) need to pile up the losses to improve their chances of keeping their first-round draft pick this year. Golden State is now 2-5 since trading away Monta Ellis and is inching toward the bottom eight of the NBA.

While many fans are hoping

the Warriors tank, those in the locker room are finding downer games like Thursday disappointing.

“The problem is we can’t keep having one great highly intense game and then fall asleep the next or get outworked,” coach Mark Jackson said. “Obviously, the way we’re going to have to win games is we’ve got to be the hardest working team on the floor every single not. We can’t afford not to be because we’re not going to out-talent people right now.”

Golden State trailed by as much as 30 points to a Houston team missing two starters — point guard Kyle Lowry (bacterial infection) and shooting guard Kevin Martin (strained right shoulder).

The Warriors, however, allowed rookie Chandler Parsons to put up the gaudiest stat line of

his brief NBA career: 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. Also, backup point guard Goran Dragic and Luis Scola combined for 35 points and 16 assists as Houston (26-22) shot 47.1 percent from the field.

The Rockets took advantage of the Warriors’ lack of size. With small forwards Richard Jefferson, Dominic McGuire and Brandon Rush forced to pretend they are big men, Golden State was outrebounded by 17 and gave up 58 points in the paint.

The Warriors didn’t have it

on offense, either. They shot 41.5 percent, turned the ball over 17 times and failed to reach 85 for the first time in 11 games.

“We are putting high demands on guys,” Jackson said. “But at the same time, we expect energy and effort. For some reason, collectively, we did not have it. We have to find a way to battle. I know it’s asking guys to do a lot, but we have to be better.”

One has to wonder how much fight Golden State will have left if demoralizers like this game keep cropping up. The Warriors, after getting Friday off, will play four games in five nights.

Two of them are rivalry games they should have no problem getting up for (Sacramento and the Los Angeles Lakers) and the other two are against Western Conference

cellar dwellers (Portland and New Orleans).

“There is no excuse for being tired in the NBA,” said Jefferson, who had a team-high 14 points off the bench. “We have a pretty young team and your body should be able to recover pretty quickly. The last couple of games, we haven’t come out with the right type of intensity. We need to improve on that.”

One night after setting a career-high of 27 points against the Hornets, rookie Klay Thompson was 4 of 11 shooting for 10 points.

“Didn’t play well,” Jackson said. “From opening tap, did not play well. And with rookies, you’re going to get that, but I’m not going to accept it. And neither should he.”

Jackson had nothing but good things

to say about rookie Jeremy Tyler’s first NBA start against New Orleans on Wednesday.

“He was very good,” Jackson said before Thursday’s game. “He was a presence in the paint. He rebounded. He altered shots. He was aggressive offensively when they dared him to make shots.”

As for his second start, Tyler logged just 12 minutes. He totaled four rebounds and missed both of his shot attempts.

“He did what we asked him to do,” Jackson said.

The Warriors signed center Mickell Gladness to a 10-day contract. Gladness — a 6-foot-11, 220-pounder out of Alabama A&M — played 10 minutes Thursday. He went scoreless with two rebounds.

March 21, 2012 – NBA Development League (D-League)
NEW YORK, March 21, 2012 – The Houston Rockets today re-assigned center Greg Smith to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment marks the 55th time an NBA player has been assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season, and it is the second assignment for Smith since earning a GATORADE Call-Up to the Rockets on Feb. 9.

Smith (6-10, 250, Fresno State), has appeared in seven games with the Rockets this season, averaging 0.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks.

A 2012 NBA D-League All-Star, Smith has appeared in 21 games for the Vipers this season, both on assignment and prior to his Call-Up, averaging 16.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 27.8 minutes. He has recorded eight double-doubles, including a season-high 28 points to go with 13 rebounds in a 125-120 win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Jan. 17.

Rockets fans can stay in step with Smith, who is expected to join the Vipers today and be available tomorrow night when the team hosts the Los Angeles D-Fenders, by logging onto nba.com/futurecast to watch all of Rio Grande Valley’s games live, online, for free.

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Rockets 107, Lakers 104

HOUSTON — Even Kobe Bryant was impressed by Goran Dragic on Wednesday night, giving the Houston point guard a quick hug at midcourt after the Rockets rallied to beat Los Angeles.

Dragic hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 28 seconds left and finished with 16 points and 13 assists in the Rockets’ comeback victory.

Down by nine with 5 minutes left, the Rockets had a 12-0 run to take the lead.

Luis Scola and Courtney Lee scored 23 points apiece for the Rockets. Bryant had 29 points, and Pau Gasol added 21 for the Lakers.

The Rockets snapped a two-game losing streak, while the Lakers have lost two in a row.

Bryant, coming off a 3-for-20 shooting night Sunday, went 10 for 27 with two 3-pointers against Houston. The Lakers had 15 turnovers and were outrebounded 40-31. The Lakers missed five straight shots during the Rockets’ late spurt before Bryant sank a fadeaway with 1:28 remaining to cut it to 100-99. Patrick Patterson split two free throws before Bryant tied it with a long jumper over 6-foot-9 rookie Chandler Parsons, who guarded him most of the night.

Dragic answered by swishing a 3-pointer from the corner in front of the Lakers’ bench. Bryant then missed a straight-on 3-pointer off the back of the rim, Parsons rebounded and Lee’s free throws with 10.6 seconds left put the game out of reach.

Gasol and Andrew Bynum made 10 of 14 shots in the first quarter and the Lakers built a 40-25 lead. Bynum was ejected late in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul for mouthing off to referee Monty McCutchen.

Pacers 102, Clippers 89

INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger scored 25 points to help Indiana beat Los Angeles.

Knicks 106, Raptors 87

NEW YORK — Amare Stoudemire had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Jeremy Lin added 18 points and 10 assists, and New York made it four straight easy victories under Mike Woodson by beating Toronto.

Heat 99, Suns 95

MIAMI –Chris Bosh scored 29 points, LeBron James survived two scary falls and Miami used a 17-0 fourth-quarter run to erase a 10-point deficit and beat Phoenix for their 14th straight home victory.

Jazz 97, Thunder 90

SALT LAKE CITY — Paul Millsap scored 20 points, Al Jefferson had 16 and Devin Harris added 15 to lead Utah to its fourth straight victory.

HOUSTON — A person familiar with the deal says the Houston Rockets have acquired center Marcus Camby from Portland and Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in separate trades.

The Rockets are sending point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round pick to the Trail Blazers and forward Jordan Hill to the Lakers. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

The 6-foot-11 Camby brings a much-needed inside presence to the Rockets, who are 24-20 and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Fisher provides depth and championship experience to the point-guard spot. Goran Dragic has started the last four games in place of Kyle Lowry, who’s expected to miss 2-3 more weeks with a bacterial infection.

Fisher has spent 13 of his 16 NBA seasons with the Lakers and was part of five championship teams with Kobe Bryant. The Rockets play the Lakers in Houston on Tuesday.

The Rockets have been looking for big men since Yao Ming retired last summer. They were ready to trade Dragic, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin for Pau Gasol before the season, but NBA commissioner David Stern nixed the trade for “basketball reasons” on behalf of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

Houston signed Samuel Dalembert on the day after Christmas, and the addition of Camby now forms a formidable frontcourt trio with Scola.

Houston picked up Flynn in a trade with Minnesota last June. Flynn was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft. He had played more in the last week, after Lowry got sick.

The 7-foot-3 Thabeet has been a bust since the Rockets acquired him in a trade that sent Shane Battier to Memphis last February. Thabeet played a total of 23 minutes this season and had nearly as many fouls (5) as points (6).

Hill scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Houston’s 107-87 win over Charlotte on Wednesday night. Hill sat out the Rockets’ win in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night with flu-like symptoms and missed nine games between February and March with a right knee sprain.

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HOUSTON (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Houston Rockets have acquired center Marcus Camby from Portland and Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in separate trades.

The Rockets are sending point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round pick (which is Minnesota’s selection, acquired by the Rockets in a trade last season) to the Trail Blazers and forward Jordan Hill to the Lakers.

The 6-foot-11 Camby brings a much-needed inside presence to the Rockets, who are 24-20 and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Fisher provides depth and championship experience to the point-guard spot. Goran Dragic has started the last four games in place of Kyle Lowry, who’s expected to miss 2-3 more weeks with a bacterial infection.

Fisher has spent 13 of his 16 NBA seasons with the Lakers and was part of five championship teams with Kobe Bryant. The Rockets play the Lakers in Houston on Tuesday.

The Rockets have been looking for big men since Yao Ming retired last summer. They were ready to trade Dragic, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin for Pau Gasol before the season, but NBA commissioner David Stern nixed the trade for “basketball reasons” on behalf of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

Houston signed Samuel Dalembert on the day after Christmas, and the addition of Camby now forms a formidable frontcourt trio with Scola.

Houston picked up Flynn in a trade with Minnesota last June. Flynn was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft. He had played more in the last week, after Lowry got sick.

The 7-foot-3 Thabeet has been a bust since the Rockets acquired him in a trade that sent Shane Battier to Memphis last February. Thabeet played a total of 23 minutes this season and had nearly as many fouls (5) as points (6).

Hill scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Houston’s 107-87 win over Charlotte on Wednesday night. Hill sat out the Rockets’ win in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night with flu-like symptoms and missed nine games between February and March with a right knee sprain.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) —
Derek Fisher, who has been with the Los Angeles Lakers for most of his NBA career, was traded on Thursday to the Houston Rockets.

Fisher, 37, has been with the Lakers for 13 of his 16 NBA seasons, but he was dealt to the Rockets for Jordan Hill, according to ESPN.

He wasn’t considered a “superstar” Laker, but Fisher was always among the most popular. He is the only Laker other than Kobe Bryant to play on the team’s last five championships.

Fisher will always be remembered as the guy who hit a game-winning shot against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2004 playoffs with just 0.4 of a second left on the clock. But he became expendable when the Lakers acquired a much younger point guard: 25-year-old Ramon Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

To get Sessions, the Lakers had to give up veteran Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and a first-round draft pick. In exchange, the Cavaliers will also send young wing player Christian Eyenga.

The Rockets play the Lakers in Houston on Tuesday.

(Copyright ©2012 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

HOUSTON (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Houston Rockets have acquired center Marcus Camby from Portland and Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in separate trades.

The Rockets are sending point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round pick to the Trail Blazers and forward Jordan Hill to the Lakers. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

The 6-foot-11 Camby brings a much-needed inside presence to the Rockets, who are 24-20 and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Fisher provides depth and championship experience to the point-guard spot. Goran Dragic has started the last four games in place of Kyle Lowry, who’s expected to miss 2-3 more weeks with a bacterial infection.

Fisher has spent 13 of his 16 NBA seasons with the Lakers and was part of five championship teams with Kobe Bryant. The Rockets play the Lakers in Houston on Tuesday.

The Rockets have been looking for big men since Yao Ming retired last summer. They were ready to trade Dragic, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin for Pau Gasol before the season, but NBA commissioner David Stern nixed the trade for “basketball reasons” on behalf of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

Houston signed Samuel Dalembert on the day after Christmas, and the addition of Camby now forms a formidable frontcourt trio with Scola.

Houston picked up Flynn in a trade with Minnesota last June. Flynn was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft. He had played more in the last week, after Lowry got sick.

The 7-foot-3 Thabeet has been a bust since the Rockets acquired him in a trade that sent Shane Battier to Memphis last February. Thabeet played a total of 23 minutes this season and had nearly as many fouls (5) as points (6).

Hill scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Houston’s 107-87 win over Charlotte on Wednesday night. Hill sat out the Rockets’ win in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night with flu-like symptoms and missed nine games between February and March with a right knee sprain.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

HOUSTON (AP)

A person familiar with the deal says the Houston Rockets have acquired center Marcus Camby from Portland and Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in separate trades.

The Rockets are sending point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round pick to the Trail Blazers and forward Jordan Hill to the Lakers. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

The 6-foot-11 Camby brings a much-needed inside presence to the Rockets, who are 24-20 and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Fisher provides depth and championship experience to the point-guard spot. Goran Dragic has started the last four games in place of Kyle Lowry, who’s expected to miss 2-3 more weeks with a bacterial infection.

Fisher has spent 13 of his 16 NBA seasons with the Lakers and was part of five championship teams with Kobe Bryant. The Rockets play the Lakers in Houston on Tuesday.

The Rockets have been looking for big men since Yao Ming retired last summer. They were ready to trade Dragic, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin for Pau Gasol before the season, but NBA commissioner David Stern nixed the trade for ”basketball reasons” on behalf of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

Houston signed Samuel Dalembert on the day after Christmas, and the addition of Camby now forms a formidable frontcourt trio with Scola.

Houston picked up Flynn in a trade with Minnesota last June. Flynn was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft. He had played more in the last week, after Lowry got sick.

The 7-foot-3 Thabeet has been a bust since the Rockets acquired him in a trade that sent Shane Battier to Memphis last February. Thabeet played a total of 23 minutes this season and had nearly as many fouls (5) as points (6).

Hill scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Houston’s 107-87 win over Charlotte on Wednesday night. Hill sat out the Rockets’ win in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night with flu-like symptoms and missed nine games between February and March with a right knee sprain.

HOUSTON (AP) A person familiar with the deal says the Houston Rockets have acquired center Marcus Camby from Portland and Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in separate trades.

The Rockets are sending point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round pick to the Trail Blazers and forward Jordan Hill to the Lakers. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

The 6-foot-11 Camby brings a much-needed inside presence to the Rockets, who are 24-20 and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Fisher provides depth and championship experience to the point-guard spot. Goran Dragic has started the last four games in place of Kyle Lowry, who’s expected to miss 2-3 more weeks with a bacterial infection.

Fisher has spent 13 of his 16 NBA seasons with the Lakers and was part of five championship teams with Kobe Bryant. The Rockets play the Lakers in Houston on Tuesday.

The Rockets have been looking for big men since Yao Ming retired last summer. They were ready to trade Dragic, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin for Pau Gasol before the season, but NBA commissioner David Stern nixed the trade for ”basketball reasons” on behalf of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

Houston signed Samuel Dalembert on the day after Christmas, and the addition of Camby now forms a formidable frontcourt trio with Scola.

Houston picked up Flynn in a trade with Minnesota last June. Flynn was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft. He had played more in the last week, after Lowry got sick.

The 7-foot-3 Thabeet has been a bust since the Rockets acquired him in a trade that sent Shane Battier to Memphis last February. Thabeet played a total of 23 minutes this season and had nearly as many fouls (5) as points (6).

Hill scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Houston’s 107-87 win over Charlotte on Wednesday night. Hill sat out the Rockets’ win in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night with flu-like symptoms and missed nine games between February and March with a right knee sprain.

HOUSTON — A person familiar with the deal says the Houston Rockets have acquired center Marcus Camby from Portland and Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in separate trades.

The Rockets are sending point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round pick to the Trail Blazers and forward Jordan Hill to the Lakers. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

The 6-foot-11 Camby brings a much-needed inside presence to the Rockets, who are 24-20 and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Fisher provides depth and championship experience to the point-guard spot. Goran Dragic has started the last four games in place of Kyle Lowry, who’s expected to miss 2-3 more weeks with a bacterial infection.

Fisher has spent 13 of his 16 NBA seasons with the Lakers and was part of five championship teams with Kobe Bryant. The Rockets play the Lakers in Houston on Tuesday.

The Rockets have been looking for big men since Yao Ming retired last summer. They were ready to trade Dragic, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin for Pau Gasol before the season, but NBA commissioner David Stern nixed the trade for “basketball reasons” on behalf of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

Houston signed Samuel Dalembert on the day after Christmas, and the addition of Camby now forms a formidable frontcourt trio with Scola.

Houston picked up Flynn in a trade with Minnesota last June. Flynn was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft. He had played more in the last week, after Lowry got sick.

The 7-foot-3 Thabeet has been a bust since the Rockets acquired him in a trade that sent Shane Battier to Memphis last February. Thabeet played a total of 23 minutes this season and had nearly as many fouls (5) as points (6).

Hill scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Houston’s 107-87 win over Charlotte on Wednesday night. Hill sat out the Rockets’ win in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night with flu-like symptoms and missed nine games between February and March with a right knee sprain.

HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Rockets didn’t look like a team distracted by rumors on the eve of the NBA’s trade deadline.

Luis Scola scored 23 points, Goran Dragic had 14 points and 10 assists and the Rockets routed the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats 107-87 on Wednesday night.

Samuel Dalembert added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Hill scored 14 for the Rockets, who’ve won two in a row after dropping six of their previous seven games.

Derrick Brown scored 15 to lead the Bobcats, who’ve lost 20 of 23 road games.

Houston has always been active leading up to the trade deadline since Daryl Morey took over as general manager in May 2007. The Rockets were ready to trade Scola, Dragic and Kevin Martin to acquire Pau Gasol before the season began, but the proposed three-team deal was rejected by NBA commissioner David Stern for ”basketball reasons.”

Scola was hopeful that he would still be a Rocket after Thursday, but also acknowledged he expects the team to make a deal of some kind before the deadline.

”There’s nothing else I can do, from this point on,” Scola said. ”This was the last game, we don’t have practice (Thursday). I have nothing to do to control that.

”I think I’m going to be here,” he said. ”I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Dragic has played well in four games starting since Kyle Lowry was stricken with a bacterial infection. He says there’s been little talk about trade rumors in the Houston locker room, but says the possibility that he’ll be dealt lingers in the back of his mind.

”Everybody’s thinking about that,” Dragic said. ”But the last few games, we’ve played well. We are professional basketball players. We cannot think about that every game. If you have a game, you have to be 100 percent to give your best in the game.”

The Rockets certainly seemed ready Wednesday night, following up an unlikely win in Oklahoma City with one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season. The Rockets finished one shy of their season high in assists (27) and shot 55 percent overall (45 of 84) from the field.

”We talked about the first five minutes of the third quarter being really important,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said. ”Let’s extend this thing out and make sure we give ourselves a big, big cushion after the first five minutes and make them feel like it’s not their night. We were able to do that.”

The Rockets went 6 for 9 from 3-point range for the game and got away with 18 turnovers by outrebounding the Bobcats 46-30.

”We just didn’t have it,” Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. ”We just didn’t play tough enough.”

The Rockets had an 18-point lead four minutes into the second quarter, but the Bobcats rallied.

D.J. Augustin sank a 3, then dished to Reggie Williams for a layup and an eventual three-point play at the end of a 13-2 burst that cut the deficit to 41-36.

Houston scored on back-to-back fast breaks to restore the double-digit cushion. Chase Budinger just beat the buzzer with a jumper from the free-throw line and Houston led 50-40 at the break.

”We were a little mad in the second quarter,” Scola said. ”We kind of let them back in the game.”

The Rockets opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run to match their biggest lead to that point. Scola had 10 points over the first five minutes of the quarter, and Houston scored 36 points, a season high for a third quarter, to extend the lead to 29.

Scola scored 14 points and Dalembert had 10 in the third quarter. Houston hit 15 of 19 shots and outrebounded Charlotte 13-4 in the quarter to lead 86-57 heading to the fourth.

”I just don’t want us to give up,” Silas said. ”We really have to work hard and keep playing. I didn’t think we played that hard tonight.”

Houston guard Courtney Lee, starting in place of the injured Kevin Martin, said he dislocated his left middle finger in two places in the fourth quarter. McHale said he didn’t think the injury was serious.

Notes: Martin sat out for the second straight game with a strained right shoulder. … The Rockets are 16-6 against the Eastern Conference this season. … The Bobcats are 1-32 when trailing after three quarters. … Bobcats F Eduardo Najera (right knee inflammation) missed his second straight game.