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Rockets drop one of West's best for 5th straight win
Houston 101, Phoenix 90
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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON -- The Rockets no longer have one of the NBA's big men and rely on a collection of role players instead stars.
Unsurprisingly, those developments haven't gone unnoticed around the Western Conference.
"I hear a lot of teams are hoping to match up with us (in the first round of the playoffs)," Rockets forward Chuck Hayes said. "But we're not as easy as we look on paper."
The Rockets proved as much -- again.
Despite missing their All-Star center and best defender for another night, the Rockets crushed one of the West's best teams with a thrilling 101-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns Friday night at Toyota Center.
The Rockets (54-25) remained fifth in the West, but have matched the San Antonio Spurs for the third best record. They also moved within a game of the conference-leading New Orleans Hornets with three games left in the regular season.
The latest victory came against one of the West's hottest teams even though Houston didn't have Yao Ming or even Shane Battier. Tracy McGrady paced four players in double figures with 22 points and seven assists as the Rockets had more than enough muscle to hang with the Suns' revamped front line.
Not bad for a team that apparently every playoff-bound franchise in the West wants to draw in the first round.
"I couldn't be prouder of our team," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "I just couldn't be prouder on the way they approached this game. The way Phoenix started this game, they really ran at us, had a lot of energy and we withstood that rally, got back in it and from the middle of that first quarter on, we just played a solid game all the way through and kept them in control. That's a very good team and our guys, they came out with a real resolve tonight and it showed."
The Rockets clicked on the offensive end from start to finish
even though McGrady had a quiet first half. Houston netted 51.1 percent of their shots and had a mere five turnovers.
Luis Scola, who's making a late push in the race for Rookie of the Year, led the Rockets with 12 of his 19 points in the opening half. But he had plenty of help. Bobby Jackson provided a boost off the bench with 13 points and Carl Landry ripped down seven rebounds -- five on the offensive end -- to post 14 points.
The Rockets were just as good on the defensive end as they didn't allow Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal to take over the game. Stoudemire did have huge night with 37 points and 11 rebounds. But the rest of the lineup didn't hurt the Rockets. O'Neal had a relatively quiet 16 points and the team's other three starters -- Grant Hill, Raja Bell and Nash -- were 4-of-21 from the field. Phoenix ended the night shooting 46.1 percent with 15 turnovers.
The collective effort helped the Rockets build as much as an 18-point advantage.
"Well, they play just so well together as a team," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "They defend as a group and follow the game plan."
The Rockets were in control throughout the second haf, but bagged the victory midway through the third quarter.
With over six minutes minutes remaining and the Rockets clinging to a 67-59 lead, Scola got loose for a series of jumpers after the Suns left the power forward to cover McGrady in the pick-and-roll game. The Rockets' power forward hit a pair of jumpers to extend Houston's lead to 14 points.
The shots loosened up things for everyone else. McGrady quickly added two of his own shots and Landry capped off a 13-4 by drawing a foul on layup. He converted the three-point play to give Houston a 78-61 lead with 2:13 left in the third.
Soon after that, the Rockets were coasting through the fourth quarter.
"We had a dismal game and a dismal first quarter (against this team in Phoenix)," said McGrady, referring to Houston's blowout loss to the Suns on March 22. "They're really playing well and have a different style of throwing the ball into Shaq and running the ball a little bit. But we answered the challenge tonight."
The Rockets still have no idea who they'll be facing in the first round since they could still wind up anywhere between first and sixth in the West.
But with every game, the Rockets continue to show that they're not going to be a pushover in the playoffs.
"They played smart and hard and they played their butts off," Suns point guard Steve Nash said. "It is good to see that in the NBA. They know they have to play together to be good. They are a good team no matter what names are on the backs of their jerseys."
