NBA
Regular Season Round 103: Minnesota T. - Houston R. 89-107
Date: February 10, 2014
After six early lead changes, the Rockets took an 11-10 lead on the first of nine dunks on the night and never trailed again, on their way to a 107-89 win at Minnesota. It gave the Rockets a season-best, six-game winning streak and pushed them to 35-17 on the season. It's their best record through 52 games since the 1993-94 season, when they were 38-14. They also reached 35 wins quicker than in any season other than that same 1993-94 season, when they reached 35 wins in just 47 games (35-12). That's a pretty good season to draw comparisons to, considering that season the Rockets won their first of two consecutive NBA championships that season. however, that is far from the minds of the players on this year's Rockets team, as they are still stuck in the middle of a very difficult western conference, where their record still has them currently as the fifth seed. Houston's offense was rolling early, scoring 34 points in the first quarter and 67 in the first half. It's the fourth time in the last five games, the Rockets have topped the 60 point mark in the first half. If not for turnovers and second-chance buckets, the Rockets might've been on easy street long before the final six minutes when they finally opened up a very comfortable lead. Houston shot 54.5 percent in the first half and held the Wolves to just 43 percent shooting, but the Rocket had ten first half turnovers, which Minnesota converted to 14 points. "They hurt us on our turnovers and second chance points," Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said. Minnesota had eight second chance points on six offensive rebounds in the first half to go along with the 14 points off turnovers. Then the Rockets committed turnovers on their first two possessions of the second half and just over a minute into the second half, the Rockets who led by as many as 12 in the first half, saw their lead dwindle to just three points. Houston called timeout, then scored the next 12 points, the last three coming on a Francisco Garcia 3-pointer, his first points since Jan. 16, after he missed eight games with a sore knee. "Once we got that (turnovers) under control, we moved it pretty well," McHale said. "I thought Dwight did a really nice job in the post, getting double-teamed and moving it out. We had open shots, we had a lot of hockey assists tonight." Houston finished the game with 25 assists, led by Jeremy Lin's seven off the bench. Like McHale said, many other buckets were earned through extra ball movement, not all of which ended up on the stat sheet as assists. Chandler Parsons, who led the Rockets with 20 points, spoke with NBATV following the game and gave his thoughts on what has been working so well during the six-game winning streak. "I think early on (this season), we were pressing, taking tough shots," Parsons said. "We're moving the ball, making the extra pass, getting out in transition. That all starts with defense, when we get as many stops as we can. When we play that way and space the floor and make the extra pass, we're so tough to guard." The Rockets held the Timberwolves to 27.9 percent shooting in the second and allowed just 31 points in the second half. That's the fewest points they've allowed in a half this season. Kevin Love, who finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds, was just 3-of-11 shooting in the second half for eight points. All five Houston starters scored in double-figures, with James Harden adding 19 points, despite not being summoned off the bench for any fourth quarter minutes. Dwight Howard scored 18 points, ending his five-game streak of scoring 20 or more points. Pat Beverley and Terrence Jones each had 14 points with Beverley making 4-of-8 3-pointers and Jones connecting on 7-of-11 shots overall. For Beverley, it's just the second time this season, he's made at least four 3-pointers in a game. The last time also came against Minnesota on Nov. 23, when he went 5-of-8 on 3-pointers. Houston returns home for their final game before the all-star break on Wednesday when they host the Washington Wizards. Courtesy of: csnhouston.com
Terms:
Field Goals : 2PM-A (2 point Field Goal made-attempts) 3PM-A (3 point Field Goal made-attempts) FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive) DEF (Defensive) TOT (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed) RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor) AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes) AST (assists) ST (steals) TO (Turnovers) PTS (points) RNK (ranking)
Regular Season Round 103: Minnesota T. - Houston R. 89-107
Date: February 10, 2014
After six early lead changes, the Rockets took an 11-10 lead on the first of nine dunks on the night and never trailed again, on their way to a 107-89 win at Minnesota. It gave the Rockets a season-best, six-game winning streak and pushed them to 35-17 on the season. It's their best record through 52 games since the 1993-94 season, when they were 38-14. They also reached 35 wins quicker than in any season other than that same 1993-94 season, when they reached 35 wins in just 47 games (35-12). That's a pretty good season to draw comparisons to, considering that season the Rockets won their first of two consecutive NBA championships that season. however, that is far from the minds of the players on this year's Rockets team, as they are still stuck in the middle of a very difficult western conference, where their record still has them currently as the fifth seed. Houston's offense was rolling early, scoring 34 points in the first quarter and 67 in the first half. It's the fourth time in the last five games, the Rockets have topped the 60 point mark in the first half. If not for turnovers and second-chance buckets, the Rockets might've been on easy street long before the final six minutes when they finally opened up a very comfortable lead. Houston shot 54.5 percent in the first half and held the Wolves to just 43 percent shooting, but the Rocket had ten first half turnovers, which Minnesota converted to 14 points. "They hurt us on our turnovers and second chance points," Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said. Minnesota had eight second chance points on six offensive rebounds in the first half to go along with the 14 points off turnovers. Then the Rockets committed turnovers on their first two possessions of the second half and just over a minute into the second half, the Rockets who led by as many as 12 in the first half, saw their lead dwindle to just three points. Houston called timeout, then scored the next 12 points, the last three coming on a Francisco Garcia 3-pointer, his first points since Jan. 16, after he missed eight games with a sore knee. "Once we got that (turnovers) under control, we moved it pretty well," McHale said. "I thought Dwight did a really nice job in the post, getting double-teamed and moving it out. We had open shots, we had a lot of hockey assists tonight." Houston finished the game with 25 assists, led by Jeremy Lin's seven off the bench. Like McHale said, many other buckets were earned through extra ball movement, not all of which ended up on the stat sheet as assists. Chandler Parsons, who led the Rockets with 20 points, spoke with NBATV following the game and gave his thoughts on what has been working so well during the six-game winning streak. "I think early on (this season), we were pressing, taking tough shots," Parsons said. "We're moving the ball, making the extra pass, getting out in transition. That all starts with defense, when we get as many stops as we can. When we play that way and space the floor and make the extra pass, we're so tough to guard." The Rockets held the Timberwolves to 27.9 percent shooting in the second and allowed just 31 points in the second half. That's the fewest points they've allowed in a half this season. Kevin Love, who finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds, was just 3-of-11 shooting in the second half for eight points. All five Houston starters scored in double-figures, with James Harden adding 19 points, despite not being summoned off the bench for any fourth quarter minutes. Dwight Howard scored 18 points, ending his five-game streak of scoring 20 or more points. Pat Beverley and Terrence Jones each had 14 points with Beverley making 4-of-8 3-pointers and Jones connecting on 7-of-11 shots overall. For Beverley, it's just the second time this season, he's made at least four 3-pointers in a game. The last time also came against Minnesota on Nov. 23, when he went 5-of-8 on 3-pointers. Houston returns home for their final game before the all-star break on Wednesday when they host the Washington Wizards. Courtesy of: csnhouston.com
 HOUSTON R. (coach: Ime Udoka)107 |
| FIELD GOALS | REBOUNDS | FOULS | BLOCKS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | NAME | MIN | 2PM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OFF | DEF | RB | AS | F | RV | ST | FV | AG | TO | PT | RNK | +/- |
| 68 | HITiQd, gTaDhU | 47 | 9-64 (04.2%) | 5-5 (5%) | 3-0 (25%) | 3 | 66 | 60 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 62 | 88 | 5 |
| 9 | vaj, zRQRBF | 44 | 6-3 (80%) | 5-8 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| 64 | HiQdRj, ziBRs | 48 | 6-2 (68.0%) | 4-1 (05%) | 2-2 (655%) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 67 | 61 | 5 |
| 80 | OiQsIjs, ChijdlRQ | 45 | 7-68 (90%) | 5-8 (5%) | 8-8 (655%) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 85 | 85 | 5 |
| 8 | mRLRQlRF, OiUQaZV | 87 | 6-4 (44.4%) | 3-2 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 63 | 64 | 5 |
| 1 | zIjRs, wRQQRjZR | 87 | 9-65 (95%) | 5-6 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 63 | 2 | 5 |
| 85 | bIUaRnujis, gIjiUis | 69 | 6-4 (44.4%) | 8-8 (655%) | 6-6 (655%) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 68 | 5 |
| 48 | GiQZai, yQijZasZI | 68 | 5-5 (5%) | 8-0 (35%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | SsaV, PBRQ | 65 | 6-8 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6-8 (05%) | 8 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| 62 | Cisspa, PBQa | 9 | 5-5 (5%) | 5-6 (5%) | 8-8 (655%) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| 5 | mQIIVs, SiQIj | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| 65 | mQRTRQ, eIjjaR | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| CILajDUIj, eIMRQU | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | |||||||||||||||||
| wIUil | 82-00 (05.7%) | 66-89 (35.9%) | 62-85 (75.5%) | 65 | 41 | 31 | 80 | 84 | 5 | 65 | 3 | 5 | 69 | 659 | 659 | |||
 MINNESOTA T. (coach: Chris Finch)89 |
| FIELD GOALS | REBOUNDS | FOULS | BLOCKS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | NAME | MIN | 2PM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OFF | DEF | RB | AS | F | RV | ST | FV | AG | TO | PT | RNK | +/- |
| 38 | vILR, KRLaj | 49 | 2-69 (39.6%) | 6-1 (61.9%) | 68-68 (655%) | 4 | 9 | 65 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 46 | 83 | 5 |
| 7 | euMaI, eaZVF | 45 | 6-1 (61.9%) | 6-3 (80%) | 8-8 (655%) | 8 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 66 | 5 |
| 48 | wuQaif, eIjjF | 45 | 6-8 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 4 | 9 | 65 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 66 | 5 |
| bMih i bIuUR, vuZ | 87 | 0-1 (24.4%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 65 | 65 | 5 | |
| 65 | mudajDRQ, ChisR | 82 | 3-66 (41.3%) | 6-4 (44.4%) | 3-3 (655%) | 3 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 60 | 65 | 5 |
| 6 | AhLRd, SlRxRF | 67 | 8-0 (35%) | 8-0 (35%) | 6-6 (655%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 66 | 0 | 5 |
| 64 | mQRTRQ, CIQRF | 62 | 6-4 (44.4%) | 6-4 (44.4%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 0 | -6 | 5 |
| 44 | CujjajDhiB, gijUR | 62 | 6-0 (85%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 4 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| 66 | miQRi, zIsR zuij | 61 | 6-0 (85%) | 5-3 (5%) | 8-8 (655%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| 0 | gaRjD, GIQDua | 66 | 5-6 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | -4 | 5 |
| 88 | OQaZR, S.z. | 8 | 6-6 (655%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| buhiBBid, AhiMiJJ | 8 | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| 1 | HuBBRl, eIMMaR | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| wIUil | 80-18 (35.4%) | 1-80 (83.5%) | 86-86 (655.5%) | 61 | 89 | 34 | 85 | 85 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 61 | 27 | 96 | |||
Terms:
Field Goals : 2PM-A (2 point Field Goal made-attempts) 3PM-A (3 point Field Goal made-attempts) FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive) DEF (Defensive) TOT (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed) RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor) AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes) AST (assists) ST (steals) TO (Turnovers) PTS (points) RNK (ranking)
