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.

Kevin Martin scored 31 points to lead the Houston Rockets to their seventh straight victory, 107-92 over Minnesota on Monday night in coach Kevin McHale’s first game back at Target Center since he was fired by the Timberwolves in 2009.
     

Kyle Lowry had 16 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds and Samuel Dalembert grabbed 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who put the game away with a 19-1 run bridging the third and fourth quarters.
     

Kevin Love had 39 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who committed 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter in coach Rick Adelman’s first game against the team he spent the last four seasons coaching.
     

Ricky Rubio had 12 assists for Minnesota, but the rookie scored just six points on 2-for-10 shooting and turned the ball over five times.
     

The Rockets started the season 3-7 and were 0-5 on the road against Western Conference foes entering the game.
     

But the 6-foot-7 Martin was way too much for Minnesota’s small backcourt, overwhelming Luke Ridnour and Wayne Ellington with an array of cuts to the basket, turn-around jumpers and even a one-handed runner off one foot that swished through that gave the Rockets a 50-42 lead late in the first half.
     

The Wolves turned up the defense to take a 70-65 lead late in the third, but the Rockets blew the doors open with that big run to take control. Goran Dragic scored eight in the surge and finished with 14 points.
     

McHale was booed lustily when introduced before the game, a startling reception for someone who once was one of this state’s most revered sports heroes.
     

McHale grew up in Hibbing on Minnesota’s Iron Range and starred at the University of Minnesota before a Hall of Fame pro career with the Boston Celtics.
     

He took over as GM of the Timberwolves in 1995 and helped one of the league’s most woeful franchises become relevant when he drafted Kevin Garnett out of high school in June of that year. The Wolves made the playoffs eight straight years, the last a magical run to the Western Conference finals in 2004.
     

The Wolves haven’t been back to the postseason since, with a series of ill-fated decisions by McHale contributing to their downfall. He was fired in 2009 and spent two seasons in television before joining the Rockets this year.
     

Adelman had a similar exit from Houston, with management deciding not to give him another contract after last season.
     

Martin, Lowry and Luis Scola all went over to shake Adelman’s hand before the game. Adelman spent four seasons in Houston and helped an undermanned team take the Lakers to seven games in the 2009 Western Conference finals.
     

NOTES: The short-handed Wolves were without Michael Beasley (sprained right foot) for the 10th straight game, J.J. Barea (strained left hamstring) for the sixth time in seven games and forward Wes Johnson (illness). … Minnesota rookie Derrick Williams got his first career start and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. … Rockets F Patrick Patterson picked up three fouls in just over 1 minute of playing time in the first quarter.
      

      
      (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)
 

Read More: Samuel Dalembert (C – HOU), Kevin Martin (G – HOU), Kevin Love (F – MIN), Ricky Rubio (G – MIN), Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves, Jan 23, 2012 7:00 PM CST

Kevin McHale returns to the Target Center in Minnesota for the first time since being fired by the Timberwolves in June 2009 following 15 years with the franchise. He has to feel pretty good about his Rockets leading after the first half 54-47.

Kevin Love dominated the first half for the T-Wolves with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting and seven rebounds. Rookie Ricky Rubio, despite 2-for-7 shooting, dished out seven assists.

Kevin Martin leads all scorers with 21 points on the Love like 7-for-12 shooting. Kyle Lowrie is well on his way to a triple-double with nine points, seven assists and six rebounds through the first 24 minutes. Samuel Dalembert has grabbed nine rebounds for the Rockets.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out SB Nation’s T-Wolves blog Canis Hoopus. If you’re looking for the take on the Houston Rockets, head over to The Dream Shake. You can also check out SB Nation’s NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA

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.

The Houston Rockets have had their share of ups and downs this season. Don’t expect the likes of Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin to give up. With a strong February, the Rockets can easily work their way into playoff contention.

Check with your service provider for channel listings in your area. With NBA League Pass, Rockets’ fans across the nation can catch every game and witness every play.

Note: All start times Central

February 2012

Wed 1, Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs, 7:30 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Fri 3, Phoenix Suns at Houston Rockets, 7 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Sat 4, Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Mon 6, Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets, 8 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Wed 8, Houston Rockets at Portland Trail Blazers, 9 p.m. (KTXH, NBATV)

Thu 9, Houston Rockets at Phoenix Suns, 8 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Sun 12, Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors, 8 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Tue 14, Houston Rockets at Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Wed 15, Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets, 7 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Fri 17, Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets, 7 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Sun 19, Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets, 6 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Mon 20, Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets, 7 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Wed 22, Philadelphia 76ers at Houston Rockets, 7 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Tue 28, Toronto Raptors at Houston Rockets, 7 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Wed 29, Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz, 8 p.m. (FSNHOU)

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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

It’s not surprising Samuel Dalembert got off to a slow start considering he
signed with the Houston Rockets a day before their opener.

Three weeks into the season he appears to have found his rhythm.

Dalembert looks to lead the Rockets to a fifth straight win Thursday night
against the struggling New Orleans Hornets.

After opening with seven losses in 10 games, Houston (7-7) got back to .500
with Tuesday’s 97-80 win over Detroit. Dalembert finished with 14 points and 12
rebounds while Luis Scola also scored 14 for the Rockets, who improved to 5-1 at
home.

“We are back to .500, which is where we wanted to be after a bit of a slow
start,” Scola said. “I think the best thing is that we are playing better.”

Dalembert has certainly shown some significant improvement.

Signed on Christmas, the 6-foot-11 center averaged 5.6 points and 5.9 boards
in the Rockets’ first 10 games. He has since emerged as a major force in the
paint, averaging 15.3 points on 69.2 percent shooting and 11.8 rebounds during
the four-game winning streak.

“He’s just playing wonderful basketball for us right now,” coach Kevin
McHale said.

While McHale is thrilled with Dalembert’s play, he’s also happy to get
reserve guard Courtney Lee back.

Lee returned Tuesday after missing eight straight games with a strained
right calf, and is expected to help spell Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry. Martin,
scoring a team-best 17.4 points per game, is averaging 40.7 minutes in six
contests since Jan. 10, while Lowry, averaging 17.3 points, is playing 39.5
minutes a game.

Both of those workloads are among the top 10 in the league.

“Those guys have been playing a lot of heavy minutes this year,” McHale
said. “I know there’s diminishing returns when you play that much – you just get
too tired. So having Courtney back will help that.”

A little break in the schedule should also help the Rockets. After wrapping
up a stretch of eight games in 12 days Tuesday, Houston now plays four times
over the next eight days with no back-to-backs.

The Rockets have lost six of the last seven meetings with the Hornets, but
New Orleans is an entirely different team without Chris Paul and David West.

The Hornets (3-11) arrive in Houston after Wednesday’s 93-87 loss to
Memphis, their fifth straight defeat and 11th in 12 games.

Jarrett Jack matched a season high with 27 points on 11 of 15 shooting and
Trevor Ariza had a season-best 18 points while making 7 of 13, but the rest of
the team shot 38.1 percent (16 of 42).

For the most part, it was an encouraging outing for Ariza, who played 40
minutes and also had season highs of seven assists and four steals after sitting
out the previous eight games with a pulled right groin. He did have five of New
Orleans’ 18 turnovers, however.

“We’ve just got to make better basketball plays,” said Jack, who is
averaging 23.7 points on 59.5 percent shooting in the last three games after
averaging 10.5 points on 34.1 percent shooting in his previous four.

“It has nothing to do with the coaches, anybody else. It’s these 15 guys in
the locker room, it’s on our shoulders to make it and get it better.”

Samuel Dalembert had 14 points and 12 rebounds, Luis Scola also
scored 14 and the Houston Rockets beat the Detroit Pistons 97-80 on
Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

Kyle Lowry had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists for the
Rockets, who outrebounded the Pistons 42-35 to offset 21 turnovers.
Houston shot 49 percent (40 of 81) from the field and scored 21
points off 17 offensive rebounds.

Tayshaun Prince scored 20 points, Ben Gordon had 18 and Rodney
Stuckey added 16 off the bench for the Pistons, who’ve dropped
eight of nine.

The Pistons missed six of their first seven shots as the Rockets
built an early lead. Detroit coach Lawrence Frank was hoping to
strengthen his team’s interior defense by starting Ben Wallace, but
Dalembert had three dunks in the first 9 minutes.

Chandler Parsons swooped in for another slam, and Lowry cut
inside for a layup as the Rockets used a 13-2 spurt to take a 24-10
lead. Houston helped Detroit with six turnovers in the quarter, and
the Pistons cut the deficit to eight by the start of the
second.

The Rockets got sloppy again just before halftime, and the
Pistons closed the gap to 42-38. Lowry made a 3 in the final 30
seconds of the half, and Houston led 47-40 at the break.

Lowry hit three 3s in the game, and Houston finished 8 for 19
from beyond the arc.

Detroit missed 12 of its first 16 shots in the third quarter,
and the Rockets stretched the margin to 62-49. Houston has held
double-digit leads in seven consecutive games, its longest streak
since the 2008-09 season.

The Rockets controlled the boards early in the fourth quarter to
preserve a comfortable lead. Backup point guard Goran Dragic turned
two steals into breakaway layups to extend the gap to 80-66 with
just under 7 minutes left.

Dragic found a cutting Parsons for a two-handed dunk with 2:45
remaining to make it 89-72. Dragic sank a 3-pointer a minute later
to give Houston its biggest lead of the game, 92-74.

The Rockets improved to 5-1 at home, and 4-1 against Eastern
Conference teams this season. The Pistons are 0-9 this season when
they get outrebounded.

NOTES: Houston has won 17 consecutive games when holding its
opponent below 90 points. … Dalembert recorded his second
double-double of the season. … Rockets G Courtney Lee returned
after sitting out eight games with a right calf strain. F Jordan
Hill left with flu-like symptoms and did not return. … Wallace
made his first start of the season at power forward, replacing
Jonas Jerebko. Frank says he’ll try the switch for “a period of
games.” … Pistons G Will Bynum sat out for the second straight
game with a strained right foot. … The Pistons are 0-10 when
trailing after the first quarter, and 0-11 when trailing after
three quarters this season.

HOUSTON
– Samuel Dalembert had 14 points and 12 rebounds, Luis Scola also scored 14 and the Houston Rockets beat the Detroit Pistons 97-80 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

Kyle Lowry had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, who outrebounded the Pistons 42-35 to offset 21 turnovers. Houston shot 49 percent (40 of 81) from the field and scored 21 points off 17 offensive rebounds.

Tayshaun Prince scored 20 points, Ben Gordon had 18 and Rodney Stuckey added 16 off the bench for the Pistons, who’ve dropped eight of nine.

The Pistons missed six of their first seven shots as the Rockets built an early lead. Detroit coach Lawrence Frank was hoping to strengthen his team’s interior defense by starting Ben Wallace, but Dalembert had three dunks in the first 9 minutes.

Chandler Parsons swooped in for another slam, and Lowry cut inside for a layup as the Rockets used a 13-2 spurt to take a 24-10 lead. Houston helped Detroit with six turnovers in the quarter, and the Pistons cut the deficit to eight by the start of the second.

The Rockets got sloppy again just before halftime, and the Pistons closed the gap to 42-38. Lowry made a 3 in the final 30 seconds of the half, and Houston led 47-40 at the break.

Lowry hit three 3s in the game, and Houston finished 8 for 19 from beyond the arc.

Detroit missed 12 of its first 16 shots in the third quarter, and the Rockets stretched the margin to 62-49. Houston has held double-digit leads in seven consecutive games, its longest streak since the 2008-09 season.

The Rockets controlled the boards early in the fourth quarter to preserve a comfortable lead. Backup point guard Goran Dragic turned two steals into breakaway layups to extend the gap to 80-66 with just under 7 minutes left.

Dragic found a cutting Parsons for a two-handed dunk with 2:45 remaining to make it 89-72. Dragic sank a 3-pointer a minute later to give Houston its biggest lead of the game, 92-74.

The Rockets improved to 5-1 at home, and 4-1 against Eastern Conference teams this season. The Pistons are 0-9 this season when they get outrebounded.

NOTES: Houston has won 17 consecutive games when holding its opponent below 90 points. … Dalembert recorded his second double-double of the season. … Rockets G Courtney Lee returned after sitting out eight games with a right calf strain. F Jordan Hill left with flu-like symptoms and did not return. … Wallace made his first start of the season at power forward, replacing Jonas Jerebko. Frank says he’ll try the switch for “a period of games.” … Pistons G Will Bynum sat out for the second straight game with a strained right foot. … The Pistons are 0-10 when trailing after the first quarter, and 0-11 when trailing after three quarters this season.

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.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten a couple of much-needed days off
following one of the most hectic opening schedules in the league. They won’t get
any more rest this weekend.

They’ll play three games in three days beginning with a home-and-home series
against the Houston Rockets that starts Friday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Oklahoma City was one of two teams along with the Los Angeles Lakers to play
seven games in the first 10 days of the season, and the Thunder (5-2) appeared
to show signs of fatigue toward the end of that stretch.

They dropped back-to-back games following their first 5-0 start since
winning six in a row to open the 1998-99 season when they were the Seattle
SuperSonics.

Oklahoma City averaged 90.0 points and shot 41.9 percent over its two
defeats after averaging 102.0 points on 48.0 percent shooting during the
unbeaten start. The Thunder are 10 for 39 (25.6 percent) from 3-point range in
two games this month after leading the Western Conference in December at 41.7
percent.

They haven’t played since Tuesday, when Kevin Durant was 1 of 7 on 3-point
tries and missed 18 of 26 shots overall in a 103-93 loss to Portland. While
Durant had 19 points for his second-lowest total of the season, James Harden
scored a team-best 23 starting for an ill Thabo Sefolosha.

“We definitely miss (Sefolosha), but there are no excuses,” coach Scott
Brooks said. “We have enough in our locker room to get the job done. … We just
have to play better. We understand that sometimes it takes a tough loss.”

The two-day break could lead to an improved performance Friday, as could a
matchup with a Rockets team which is winless in four road games. Oklahoma City
has won four of five over Houston (2-4), including three straight at home by
double digits.

The teams meet again Saturday night at the Toyota Center before the Thunder
host San Antonio on Sunday.

“Three in a row is going to be tough, but it’s something we’ve got to fight
through,” Durant said. “The two days off before is going to help.”

Durant reached 30 points in each of the first four games but hasn’t done so
in the last three, averaging 19.3. He’s scored at least 30 in the last two
matchups with the Rockets.

“I’m a scorer, so I can’t get down on one game,” the two-time scoring
champion said. “I can’t let it snowball to the next.”

Houston, meanwhile, is trying to salvage the end of a three-game trip that
included its most lopsided defeat of the season, 117-89 to the Los Angeles
Clippers on Wednesday.

The Rockets gave up 41 points in the first quarter – the most allowed by any
team in one period this season – and scored 14 in the fourth, their fewest in
one period.

“We made mistakes offensively and defensively,” said guard Kyle Lowry, who
scored a team-high 17 points. “It’s just something we’ve got to figure out. We
can’t have nights like this. It was a terrible day for us.”

Lowry was one of six players in double figures during Houston’s lone win
over Oklahoma City last season, 99-98 on Nov. 28, 2010. Kevin Martin had a
team-best 23 points and has averaged 23.3 over his last 15 matchups with the
Thunder.

Martin has averaged 12.8 points in Houston’s four road losses, compared to
26.0 in its two home wins.

By Steve Perrin

Follow , and

Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

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

Follow , and

Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Do you like this story?