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.

Rockets guard Bonzi Wells, who has already missed 19 games this season (due to being out of shape and not progressing as fast as coach Van Gundy would have liked), will be sidelined for at least one week due to a sore lower back. Wells has appeared in 11 games this season, coming off the bench, averaging 6.8 points and 4 rebounds per game.

On Friday night, Tracy McGrady had his breakout game, scoring 30+, as the Rockets blew out the Atlanta Hawks in a 26 point home win, 94-68. Houston shot the ball extremely well, 51%, as Atlanta shot the ball poorly at 35%. Houston also was +9 in the rebounding column, 46-37.

For Atlanta, there is nothing really to write home about, but some players did a solid job. Rookie big man Shelden Williams posted a double-double: 11 points, 11 rebounds on 5-7 shooting. Josh Childress poured in 15 off the bench as Esteban Batista, also coming off the bench, grabbed 8 rebounds. Hawks star Joe Johnson had an off night, shooting just 5-13, scoring only 11 points.

T-Mac attack! Tracy McGrady score 31 points tonight on 13-18 shooting, which included 4-6 from 3 point territory. Juwan Howard had another good game, as he did a little bit of everything: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists. Luther Head put up double digits off the bench (11), as Chuck Hayes scored 8 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Bonzi Wells did not play, due to a sore lower back.

Player of the Game: Tracy McGrady

31 points, 4-6 3FG

Next Game: Sunday (12/31/06) at home vs. Memphis at 6:00 pm. Note that this will be the last game the Rockets play with the “new” ball.

On Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets went to New Jersey to play the Nets, and they completely blew them out on their home floor, 96-71. New Jersey shot 33% from the floor, the “Big 3″ all had terrible nights, Houston outrebounded New Jersey 54-32, and yes, this is all without Yao.

For New Jersey, nothing really went well at all. The “Big 3″ of Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, and Richard Jefferson shot a combined 11-40 (28%) from the floor. That is absolutely terrible. The leading scorer for New Jersey was rookie G/F Hassan Adams off the bench with 13. Vince Carter and Bostjan Nachbar each had 12, and Kidd/Jefferson each had 11. Jason Kidd did, however, steal the ball 6 times. But that means nothing, the Nets played a horrible game.

For Houston, oh… how should this be put? “Bing, Bang, Boom, Battier!” Battier absolutely lit it up, hitting 7 three pointers and grabbing 9 rebounds. McGrady really struggled with his shot again (4-16), but he finished with 17 points and 6 assists. Juwan Howard finished with a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds), and Rafer Alston had a nice all-around night with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Even Mt. Mutombo got in on the action, and grabbed himself 10 boards. The Rockets shot 48% from 3, grabbed 54 rebounds, hit 18 of 21 from the free throw line, and they walk away with a huge road victory.

Player of the Game: Shane Battier

23 points, 9 rebounds, 7-12 3FG

Next Game: Tomorrow (Friday, 12/29/06) at home vs. Atlanta at 7:30 pm.