PrintHornets Sting Rockets In Big Easy
Houston rally falls short as New Orleans holds on for 102-94 victory
Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer
Houston - Aaron Brooks stepped up to the free throw line in the final minute, with a chance to trim his team's deficit, once as large as 17, to a mere three points. A career 84 percent shooter from the charity stripe, it seemed a good bet Brooks would drain both and keep the Rockets' comeback hopes alive.
Instead both freebies agonizingly rimmed out, summing up the sort of night it had been for Houston's players while effectively sealing the Rockets' fate and dooming them to their second straight loss, this time a 102-94 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Hornets.
"We are learning on the fly, you can definitely say that, but we have to find ways to close out games," said Trevor Ariza after the game. "When we make a run we have to figure out a way to put us over the top."
Struggling from the field and trailing throughout most of the game, the Rockets rallied late by leaning on a rather revamped rotation. Newcomers Jared Jeffries (11 points, 9 rebounds) and Kevin Martin (13 points, 3 assists) began to find their feet in the fourth quarter and rookie Chase Budinger, who scored a team-high 18 points in just 23 minutes of action, was tremendous start to finish.
But it simply proved to be a case of too little, too late for Houston as the club's shooting woes ultimately proved too much to overcome. After hitting just 38 percent of their shots through three quarters of play, a strong showing in the final frame managed to boost the Rockets' connection rate to 43.5 percent by the end of the game. The true killer, however was Houston's inability to convert from both beyond the arc and at the charity stripe. The Rockets were just 7-of-25 (.280) from 3-point land and 7-of-14 at the line, numbers which severely inhibited Houston's comeback attempt.
"I thought offensively we were very impatient," said Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman. "We were playing with two or three guys and the other guys were standing. We weren't moving the ball to the other side and making them move. When we're playing this small lineup, you really have to have good ball movement. You shouldn't be doing isolation unless it's quick hitting. You've got to find other people. They're going to stop the first option, but you've got to look for the next one and we didn't do that at all in the first half."
Certainly some of the Rockets' woes on the offensive end could be attributed to the necessary experimentation taking place as Adelman and his staff search for the best way to utilize the club's newcomers, acquired during Thursday's blockbuster trade deadline deal. Houston's regular rotation is now in a state of flux – and, it should also be noted, clearly missing the presence of bench brigade sparkplug Kyle Lowry – with varying degrees of mixing and matching taking place.
But amidst the controlled chaos, there were also flashes of what this team might prove capable of doing when all the pieces eventually slide into place. Martin, still struggling to find his shooting touch since putting on a Rockets uniform, seemed to settle in during the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points in the frame by making strong, quick cuts, connecting off screens and drawing fouls. Budinger was terrific, though never more so than when he stole the ball at the end of the third period with three seconds left, dribbled behind his back to evade his man and raced up court before pulling up for a 3-pointer which found nothing but the bottom of the net just as time expired. And Jeffries used his much-needed length and defensive savvy to disrupt and slow down the Hornets' offensive attack keyed all evening by David West (27 points, 9 rebounds) and Darren Collison (26 points, 9 assists, 4 steals).
No, those things don't diminish the sting of a defeat which moves the Rockets a game further behind their competitors in the race to qualify for the Western Conference playoffs. But it does give the club something upon which it can build as it moves forward into a week which presents a couple of stiff challenges in the form of Orlando and San Antonio this Wednesday and Friday night, respectively.
"I feel that even though we lost that game, there's a lot of positive things that we learned about the different pieces that we have," said Adelman. "We just have to get it together. We have a tough week coming up. We have pieces that we didn't have before. We just have to come together as a team and understand what the strengths are of each guy and get it turned around."
Added Budinger: "It's like starting over. We have new faces on the team and we are just trying to get used to one another. We haven't really had any practices yet. The next few days are going to be very important for us to run through our stuff, to get used to one another and start learning each other. That's all you can do."
QUOTES
Rick Adelman
On the game: "I feel that even though we lost that game, there's a lot of positive things that we learned about the different pieces that we have. We just have to get it together. We have a tough week coming up. We have pieces that we didn't have before. We just have to come together as a team and understand what the strengths are of each guy and get it turned around. I thought offensively we were very impatient. We were playing with two or three guys and the other guys were standing. We weren't moving the ball to the other side and making them move. When we're playing this small lineup, you really have to have good ball movement. You shouldn't be doing isolation unless it's quick hitting. You've got to find other people. They're going to stop the first option, but you've got to look for the next one and we didn't do that at all in the first half. We missed a lot of shots. We were very impatient, again. That's the biggest thing with the changes we have."
On Rockets Forward Jared Jeffries: "He proved he's a very good defender. He's very active. He's hard to guard by himself down there. I like his activity out there. I thought he was really good at both ends of the court."
Chase Budinger:
On new team chemistry: "It's like starting over. We have new faces on the team and we are just trying to get used to one another. We haven't really had any practices yet. The next few days are going to be very important for us to run through our stuff, to get used to one another and start learning each other. That's all you can do."
Trevor Ariza:
On the game: "We are learning on the fly you can definitely say that, but we have to find ways to close out games. When we make a run we have to figure out a way to put us over the top."
On adjusting to new players: "Well this is only our second game together. We still have some things that we need to figure out but for the most part we are showing signs of improvement even though we lost there were some good points."
On signs of improvement: "Down the stretch we made a big run and everybody wants to win here and everybody plays hard. We were getting everybody involved in the game tonight."
Hornets Head Coach Jeff Bower:
On closing out quarters: "I thought we made a couple of crucial plays when it was getting tight to keep a little bit of a cushion. David West, I thought was really important there, and I thought Emeka (Okafor), although he didn't score he had the tip to keep it alive and David West ended up with the offensive rebound and the dunk. I thought that was a key play that put the game away. All in all, I think that is a very good team we played, a team that shoots the ball very well, scored the ball easily, and I am pleased that we were able to come away with the win."
On Collison's growth as a player: "I think his decision making in the flow of the game is coming much quicker. I think his feel for where to get the ball and when to get it to certain players, like David West or Peja (Stojakovic), is coming very quickly at this point. He is doing a very good job of balancing his offensive aggressiveness with his shot distribution role. I think that is reflected generally in our overall shot attempts across the board."
On the challenge with the lack of depth due to injured players: "Well I think our approach with this is that what we want to do is what is simplest for the players that we have available. That is the only thing that we want to do, and so what we look at is what they can execute effectively, what they are good at as far as coverages to use and offensive actions to emphasize and that is really all we are looking at as far as how can it all add up to a successful night and for a victory. I was pleased in the first half I played a lot more guys to keep minutes contained and somewhat controlled, and to give guys opportunities to step forward and I was pleased with the play of everyone. I felt really good with the minutes and the production that our starters gave us."
Hornets Forward David West:
On the game: "They're a talented basketball team, their offense is dangerous and they were able to get back in the game in the second half. We just wanted to come out, continue to be solid and get ready for the road."
On the offense: "We are trying to make sure Darren Collison doesn't have to make all the decisions out there. I'm pretty comfortable at that elbow area and it's been working out for us."
On their upcoming game against the Cavs: "We know Cleveland is struggling right now, they're going to be fired up at home. We just got to continue to play good solid basketball, and trust one another at the end."
Hornets Forward James Posey:
On the game: "We came out aggressive and made plays defensively. It got us out in the open floor for high percentage shots. Even when they made a run we got stops when we needed to."
On getting open looks on offense: "When we work together and screen for our shooters and also our point guard so he can get in there and create. Once we did that, it's tough because we have different options on offense. Screening and getting our guys open is very important."
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