[Chron] Rockets gain edge in race by downing Sonics

Rockets gain edge in race by downing Sonics

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

SEATTLE _ Because they have cable television in Seattle, too, there was plenty to keep Bonzi Wells entertained in his hotel room.

Wells, who said last week that cable television was all anyone needed to know what he could do in the playoffs, went AWOL on Monday, skipping the game. But with a good cable hookup, he could still see everything from Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming combining for 58 points to McGrady turning into Yao's enforcer, as the Rockets knocked off the Seattle SuperSonics 95-90 at KeyArena on Monday.

With the win, the Rockets moved a half-game in front of the Utah Jazz for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in their first-round series. But with that series — expected to be tough and physical — fast approaching, the Rockets seemed to get ready when Yao was knocked down, and he and they got up stronger.

"We have a pretty tight group," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "Any time we feel one of our guys, especially one of our main guys, is being bullied, no one reacts well to that. The best way to show that play is not going to be tolerated is to raise our game. That's what we did.

"We responded really well to that flagrant foul, and we were able to open a lead. That's what tough teams do. Toughness isn't beating your chest, swearing at the other team or being Mr. Macho. It's about raising your play when teams try to get tough with you."

The Rockets had led by as much as 15 in the first half, but then stopped playing defense long enough for the Sonics to make 11 of 16 shots to end the first half and begin the second before the Rockets seemed to notice. When they did, with the Sonics within three, Yao swatted a Rashard Lewis shot, which seemed to have inspired Nick Collison to swat Yao.

Collison threw Yao to the floor for a flagrant foul that brought a retaliatory shove from McGrady.

"That was an unnecessary foul," McGrady said.

"We did a great job responding to it, accepting that challenge."

Damien Wilkins' free throw on McGrady's technical foul cut the Rockets' lead to two. But Yao made both free throws and followed that with a jumper, two more free throws and a dunk.

When he grabbed an offensive rebound and slammed it back in, he had 10 points in the two minutes after crashing to the floor and the Rockets led 74-64 with 2:41 remaining before the fourth quarter.

"We made a concerted effort to get him the ball," McGrady said. "He asserted himself on the offensive end, drawing fouls, making shots as he normally does. It opened it up for us on the outside. After that flagrant foul, we just wanted to get him the ball."

The Rockets' defense, however, had not regained any control of the Sonics. Seattle came back within two, with Lewis, who was 3-of-14 through three quarters, making his first two shots of the fourth.

McGrady, who finished with 27 points, put in a pair of jumpers, and Luther Head made one. But when McGrady sat with 7:25 left, the lead was a shaky seven.

The SuperSonics drew within five with four minutes left before Rafer Alston put in a pair of free throws and Juwan Howard sank a jumper for a nine-point lead heading to the final three minutes.

For the second-consecutive night, after so many in which they crumbled down the stretch, the Rockets held on, without ever letting the Sonics get too close again.

"We need to stay together, just like tonight," Yao said after finishing with 31 points, making 10 of 19 shots and all 11 of his free throws.

With that, it was a pretty good show, assuming the cable worked at the team hotel.

Good news for Rockets: Jazz take a beating

OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Jackson scored 28 points, Baron Davis had 19 and the long-suffering Golden State Warriors climbed into the playoff picture with a 126-102 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Monta Ellis and Matt Barnes scored 16 points apiece for the Warriors (38-40), whose eighth victory in nine home games put them in eighth place in the Western Conference by a tiny margin over the Clippers (37-39), who lost to Dallas earlier. Golden State (.4872 winning percentage) nudged ever so slightly ahead of Los Angeles (.4868), which has two games in hand.

Al Harrington had 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Warriors blew out Utah in the middle quarters of their fifth win in six games overall, improving their improbable hopes for the club's first postseason appearance since 1994 — even if their streak of 12 straight losing seasons continues.

Ronnie Brewer scored 21 points for the Jazz, who showed little playoff urgency while falling a half-game behind Houston for fourth place in the conference race and home-court advantage in the clubs' probable first-round playoff meeting. The Jazz have dropped four straight and 10 of 15 overall — including five of six since clinching the Northwest Division title.

Carlos Boozer and Matt Harpring scored 17 points apiece for Utah, but point guard Deron Williams managed just four points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Golden State hit 11 3-pointers, and Jackson — who had seven rebounds and five assists — scored 11 points in the third as the Warriors ran away from the struggling Jazz.

The Warriors still don't control their own fate, but they're back among the Western Conference's top eight for the first time since Feb. 21. That's no small accomplishment for a club floundering through the NBA's longest current stretch out of the postseason.

With 3 minutes to play, the remaining fans started a chant of "Playoffs! Playoffs!" which was surprisingly vigorous, considering it hadn't been used for 12 years.

But the Warriors have a chance for a strong finish: They don't play again until Friday at Sacramento, and three of their final four games are in Northern California before a season-ending trip to lowly Portland.

Golden State took control with a 25-4 run stretching over most of the second quarter, eventually turning a seven-point deficit into a 17-point lead in about 8 minutes. Utah couldn't keep pace with the uptempo Warriors, who scored 37 points in the period.

Meanwhile, the Jazz's resurgent season has hit a snag since they clinched their postseason spot. Utah has lost four straight to clubs with losing records, and has back-to-back games against Dallas and Phoenix looming on the weekend.

At least the Jazz didn't wait until the fourth quarter to blow this one. In their previous two games, they wasted a 17-point lead at Sacramento and a 22-point margin against Seattle.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan remained rooted to the bench for most of the second half — a reliable sign of the 19-year veteran coach's profound displeasure.

Wells misses Rockets game after struggling in return
Guard, just back from inactive list, tells trainer he doesn't want to disrupt chemistry

SEATTLE — Rockets guard Bonzi Wells, after struggling through two games since returning from the inactive list, did not join the team for Monday's game against the Seattle SuperSonics, leaving only a message with athletic trainer Keith Jones.

Wells also skipped Monday's walk-through at the team hotel, but left Jones a message saying he thought he was being a distraction. He did not speak with Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, who was unable to reach Wells by phone.

Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson was not immediately available. Wells' agent, Bill Duffy, said he would look into the matter.

"I don't know where he is," Van Gundy said before the 95-90 win. "I haven't talked to him. He left a message with Keith that he thought he was disrupting chemistry. I just tried to call him. His mailbox is full. I don't have an answer."

Jones said he had spoken to Wells several times Monday, but that Wells never gave an indication that he planned to skip the game until sending a text message about 2½ hours before the game.

Van Gundy said he did not agree that Wells was a problem, but would not discuss potential penalties for Wells' absence or his reaction to it.

"I want to make sure he's safe first," Van Gundy said. "Let's take it one step at a time. He's not here tonight. Let's make sure he's OK and go from there. Once I know he's all right, we'll take whatever the next step is. I want to make sure he's safe, first."

Wells, 6-5, played 23 minutes Friday, making one of seven shots with three turnovers. He played just five minutes in Sacramento on Sunday, missing his only shot and committing two turnovers before, Van Gundy said, he asked out of the game. He did not play again.

Wells, 30, has struggled throughout the season, spending much of the first two months on the inactive list, and twice going out with back injuries. He went out again last month with a sore right foot, but remained inactive for 18 games, long after his foot was healed, while Van Gundy considered options off the bench.

Saying he was unhappy with the team's play, Van Gundy returned Wells to the rotation last week. Van Gundy said he had no issues with Wells' attitude when he was inactive or since.

"He's been great," Van Gundy said. "He played four or five minutes last night and asked to come out. It was more frustration. That was my guess. I don't have any answers."

Wells, who is expected to opt out of his two-year contract with the Rockets after the season, has played in just 28 games, averaging 7.8 points on 41.3 percent shooting, 14.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 56.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

"I don't know what the situation is," Tracy McGrady said. "Obviously, it has to be something really bothering him to put himself in that situation to take himself out. I don't know. I haven't talked to him. I don't think he's talked to anybody."

Rockets guard Rafer Alston said he spoke with Wells on Sunday night about Wells' frustration with his play and the season, but that Wells did not indicate any plans to skip Monday's game.

"He was frustrated," Alston said. "He was not in any kind of game shape that he wanted to be in. It was hard on him. Just talking to him, I could see how frustrated he is. I was just trying to talk to him.

"That (not showing up) took me by surprise. But to each his own."

ROCKETS NOTES
Yao bruised, battered, but his back's OK

After his first game back following a game he missed because of a sore back, Rockets center Yao Ming was sore and in pain with dark bruises on his right forearm.

Then came the 95-90 win over Seattle on Monday.

Yao said his back is fine. Yao said he did not know what happened to leave him so obviously bruised on Sunday.

"I don't remember a foul," Yao said. "It was just there. I have long arms. Maybe they think the color is the same, the ball and my arm."

The soreness came when he dove for a loose ball. He was wincing on occasion in the second half of Sunday's game, but said that by Monday's game that he was not in any pain.

"On the loose ball, I (landed) on my hip," Yao said. "It was a little swollen (Sunday.) Not today. But (Sunday) when I was running, I felt a lot of pain and sore right on (the hip.) Today is much better."

Yao said he was not frustrated by a recent run of bad luck since coming back from his fractured leg.

"What can you say? It just happens," Yao said. "You can't stay away from all that. This is a contact league. It can happen any second."

Positive step

When the Rockets left Houston, coach Jeff Van Gundy said he wanted to see a renewed sense of purpose and urgency. The second-half comeback on Sunday in Sacramento was a step in that direction, though he said it takes more than half a game for anything to be considered a turnaround.

"The first half Sunday wasn't what we hoped to be," Van Gundy said. "The second half was a little better.

"In the second half (Sunday) we were more active, more urgent; not so much in the first half. It's just who do you strive to be. We've just got to seize the opportunity. I think we have a unique opportunity. But it doesn't really matter what I think or what I see or what my vision is. It's what the group's vision is for what they can be. We'll see."

Asked how he would describe his team's attitude, he said, "It's the NBA. It changes every day.

"I like our guys. Our guys are good. We have good guys. That's the least of our problems."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

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