On Wednesday night, the Rockets did not have Tracy McGrady or, of course, Yao Ming in their home game vs. Phoenix. This was the first time all season long the Rockets have played a game without both of their stars. Result: a 9 point home loss to one of the hottest teams in the league, the Phoenix Suns. Houston shot the ball just 39% and they only got to the free throw line 12 times. The final score was 100-91.

Two-time MVP Steve Nash filled up the stat sheet in this game with 21 points, 14 assists, and 4 rebounds on 8 of 10 shooting. He is strongly making a push for a 3rd straight MVP award. Leading the team in scoring for Phoenix was Amare Stoudemire, who score 22 big ones as well as grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. Shawn Marion racked up another double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Raja Bell ended up nailing 5 of 10 from three point territory, as he finished the game with 15 points and 9 rebounds. The Suns played just two guys off the bench: Leandro Barbosa and James Jones. Barbosa went for 20 points off the bench as Jones nailed a couple treys, ending with 6.

No McGrady and no Yao, somebody has to take on the scoring load, right? Rafer Alston did, scoring 29 points and dishing 8 assists, but it wasn’t enough. Starting in place of McGrady was Luther Head, who nailed 4 of 9 from deep as he scored 16 and grabbed 5 boards. Shane Battier also hit 4 three’s, but he only took 5 of them, as he finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Dikembe Mutombo didn’t put up double-digit rebounding numbers in this one, but he did manage to grab 8 of them as well as score 4 points. Juwan Howard had one of his worst offensive games of the year, shooting just 2 of 10 from the floor. The Rockets bench was horrible from the field, as they shot a combined 9-26, “led” by John Lucas, who shot just 3-13 including just 1-6 from deep.
Some good news, however, is that Bonzi Wells did return to the lineup. Wells played 17 minutes in the game and came up with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and even 2 blocks.

Player of the Game: Rafer Alston

29 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists

On Tuesday night, the Rockets traveled to Dallas to face off against a top MVP candidate in Dirk Nowitzki, and the Dallas Mavericks (who have the best record in the league). Despite an amazing 45 point performance from Tracy McGrady, the Rockets fell short on the road in Dallas, ending their winning streak in a 109-96 loss. To make matters worse, McGrady left the game and headed to the locker room at the end of the game due to a sore back.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 30, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished 6 assists, and hit all 10 of his free throw attempts. Nowitzki is hands down one of the best players in the NBA. Young star Josh Howard kept up his strong play, scoring 28 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Deaven George and Jerry Stackhouse were very effective off the bench for Dallas, as George scored 14 and grabbed 6 rebounds, while Stackhouse scored 13. Jason Terry was not his normal self in this game, shooting just 3 of 10 and going for just 7 points. He did, however, hand out 8 assists and grab 4 rebounds. Erick Dampier ended the game with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

Tracy McGrady was on fire from the start, scoring 21 of his 45 points in the first quarter. Aside from the 45 points, McGrady also grabbed 5 rebounds and came up with 7 helpers. Juwan Howard was the Rockets’ second leading scorer with 16, as he shot 5 of 11 and grabbed 6 rebounds. Rafer Alston managed to nail 4 of 5 from beyond the arc to end up with 12 points and 5 assists. Dikembe Mutombo had yet another double-digit rebounding effort with 10, as he also blocked 2 shots and scored 3 points. Shane Battier and Luther Head had rough shooting nights, as they combined for 4-17 shooting.

Player of the Game: Tracy McGrady

45 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists

Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy on the matter: “It’s going to be a long time. To put a timetable on it wouldn’t be fair to him or us. You won’t see him there (in Las Vegas.) “

On Friday night, the Rockets traveled to Denver to face AI and the Nuggets. Steve Blake made his Nuggets debut in this game, as he was just traded from Milwaukee in a deal for Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge, and did a great job. Neither team in this game played as well as they usually do, but Houston ended up with the 4 point victory, 90-86, due to some clutch plays (especially from Shane Battier).

Allen Iverson started this game off on fire, but wasn’t as effective in the second half, yet he still played a solid game. Iverson ended the game with 28 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Marcus Camby hit just 3 of his 10 shot attempts, but he managed to pull down a ridiculous 24 rebounds. Steve Blake, who made his Nuggets debut in this game, played very well. He played under control and he knocked down his shots, as well as set up his teammates nicely. Blake went for 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in his Nuggets debut, on 5-8 shooting, including 3-5 from deep. J.R. Smith and Yakhouba Diawara were ice cold from the floor tonight. Smith shot 4-17, going for 11 points, while Diawara shot 5-14. However, that 5-14 includes 3 of 12 from three point land. Diawara finished with 13 points on horrid shooting, but he did do a good job defensively on Tracy McGrady. Nene shot just 2 of 8, as he ended up with 8 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.

For Houston, Shane Battier was the hero tonight. McGrady shot poorly and Yao obviously wasn’t in action, but Battier really stepped up tonight, especially late in the game. He finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals on 7-13 shooting, including 5 of 9 from deep. McGrady shot just 5 of 17, as he really struggled shooting the ball, but he did make some excellent setup plays. He finished with just 12 points, but also 8 rebounds and 11 assists. Dikembe Mutombo had another double digit rebounding effort, as he scored 7 points, grabbed 10 boards, and blocked 4 shots. Juwan Howard had a solid offensive night, as he finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Rafer Alston had yet another horrible shooting night, shooting just 5 of 15, as he ended the game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Luther Head hit a few deep shots as well, as he went for 15 points and 3 rebounds off the bench.

Player of the Game: Shane Battier

25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 5-9 3FG

On Wednesday night, the Rockets hosted Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers at home, and it was a great game for the Rockets. Not only did the Rockets win 102-77, a lot of guys played excellent basketball. The Rockets held the Lakers to just 34% shooting and they outrebounded LA 56-43, with a special thanks to Dikembe Mutombo.

Kobe Bryant struggled in the game, shooting just 6-18 and scoring just 20 points. Andrew Bynum had a double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds. Smush Parker hit 3 of 4 from deep, as he went for 12 points and 3 rebounds. Luke Walton contributed 9 points and 6 assists, despite his 3-9 shooting. Maurice Evans shot just 4-12 off the bench, as he came up with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 helpers. Rookie point guard Jordan Farmar hit all 7 of his free throw attempts, as he scored 11 off the bench. Ronny Turiaf and Vladimir Radmanovic each went scoreless of the bench, but they combined for 12 rebounds (7 for Turiaf, 5 for Radmanovic).

Leading the scoring load for Houston tonight was Juwan Howard, who scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on 10-20 shooting. Howard has really stepped up lately. Rafer Alston shot just 8-19, but he hit 4 deep balls, as he scored 20 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished 4 assists. Tracy McGrady, who had six straight 30+ point performances in a row coming into this game, really struggled from the floor. McGrady shot just 4 of 16 and he only scored 8 points, but he did manage to move the ball around to rack up 12 assists. Dikembe Mutombo was an absolute animal on the glass once again, coming up with 19 rebounds as well as 5 blocks and 7 points. Shane Battier connected on 5 of 8 from deep, as he came up with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Luther Head and Chuck Hayes had strong games off the bench as well, as Head scored 12 points and dished 6 assists, while Hayes scored 6 and grabbed 7 boards.

Player of the Game: Dikembe Mutombo

7 points, 19 rebounds, 5 blocks

On Monday night, the Rockets went to Chicago to face the young and scrappy Bulls. Tracy McGrady went off for 30+ once again, and the Rockets won the game 84-77 on the road. The Rockets grabbed 51 rebounds, forced the Bulls to shoot just 37% from the floor, and the Rockets got some solid bench production from Head and Hayes. The Rockets didn’t shoot so well themselves, just 39%, and they only connected on 8 of their 32 three point attempts.

The Bulls had a tough time today, but Ben Gordon had a solid offensive night off the bench. Gordon scored 24 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished 5 assists. Luol Deng was the only other Bull to reach the 20 point mark, as he scored 20 and grabbed 5 boards. Andres Nocioni had a tough shooting night, just 4-14, but he came up with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Ben Wallace scored just 4 points, but he also grabbed 10 of the Bulls’ 45 rebounds. Kirk Hinrich scored just 2 points, on 1-11 shooting. That is one of his worst efforts in his NBA career. Michael Sweetney and Malik Allen came off the bench to combine for 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Tracy McGrady came up with his sixth straight 30 point effort, as he scored 31 points and also came up with 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Juwan Howard came in strong again, as he finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Dikembe Mutombo went off on the glass once again as well, grabbing 16 boards in the game. Shane Battier had a horrible shooting night (5-15 from the floor including 2-10 from deep), but he came up with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Rafer Alston was ice cold, once again, shooting just 2 of 14 from the floor, scoring 7 points and dishing 7 assists. Off the bench, Luther Head and Chuck Hayes had solid nights, combining for 16 points and 17 rebounds.

Player of the Game: Tracy McGrady

31 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists

On Sunday afternoon, the Rockets traveled to Minnesota to take on Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a tight battle, as the game went into overtime, but Kevin Garnett and some clutch plays from Ricky Davis got the Wolves the 4 point win, 103-99. The two major problems for the Rockets tonight were three-point shooting and fouls. The Rockets shot just 9-29 from deep, and they committed 28 fouls. The Wolves shot 40 free throws in the game, as Houston only shot 19.

Kevin Garnett had another outstanding game, coming up with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Mark Blount had himself a very good game as well, coming up with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Mike James had a double-double of his own, despite just 3-12 shooting, of 12 points and 10 assists. Ricky Davis shot the ball well from the outside and he made some big plays, as he finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds. Defensive stopper Trenton Hassell also played well, coming up with 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Tracy McGrady had yet another 30+ point effort, as he scored 31 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished 4 assists on the night. Shane Battier was bombs away from deep, shooting 4-7 from down town and coming up with 20 points. Juwan Howard had an effective offensive night, scoring 19 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Dikembe Mutombo owned the glass, coming up with another double digit rebounding effort of 13. Rafer Alston had another horrid shooting night, as he was just 4 of 17 from the floor.

Player of the Game: Tracy McGrady

31 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

Next Game: Tomorrow (1/8/07) @ Chicago at 7:30 pm.

Rockets guard Kirk Snyder, who has not played since November 20th with a broken right wrist, has been given the green light to start working out again by his hand specialist. Head coach Jeff Van Gundy says that he will not play in games right away, due to being out of shape and not having much practice time over the past month and a half. Once Snyder gets in the gym more and works himself into better playing shape, he’ll be good to go. Snyder has appeared in 11 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 5.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

On Friday night, the Rockets hosted one of the best teams in the NBA this year: the Utah Jazz. As good as the Jazz may be this year, they couldn’t do anything with Tracy McGrady tonight. He lit it up from all over, as he scored over 40 points. Houston limited their turnovers to 7, as Utah had 13, and the Rockets won the game at home 100-86.

For Utah, Deron Williams had himself a solid night, scoring 19 points and dishing 8 assists. Carlos Boozer scored 15 and dished 6 assists, but he also owned the boards, grabbing 17. Andrei Kirilenko scored 16 of his own, grabbed 6 boards, and blocked 4 shots, but he obviously didn’t do as good a job as he would have liked with McGrady. Mehmet Okur was not his usual self, shooting just 2-9 and scoring only 7 points. Derek Fisher had a tough shooting night as well, scoring only 3 points on 1-9 shooting. Off the bench, Matt Harpring chipped in 12 points and 5 rebounds.

Tracy McGrady just went off for the Rockets. He hit 14 of his 31 shot attempts and hit 13 of his 16 free throw attempts, scoring a season high 44 points. He also grabbed 9 rebounds. Shane Battier shot the ball well, hitting three 3’s, and he scored 15 of his own. So, you thought Carlos Boozer’s 17 rebound effort was impressive, did you? Well, Dikembe Mutombo answered, as he grabbed 19 rebounds and scored 9 points. Rafer Alston shot just 5 of 17, but he ended up with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Juwan Howard had a rough night, turning the ball over 4 times and shooting just 3-11, as he ended up with 7 points and 6 rebounds. Luther Head led the bench with 7 points.

Player of the Game: Tracy McGrady

44 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists

Next Game: Sunday (1/7/07) @ Minnesota at 2:30 pm.