[12.18.05] Rockets-Lakers Game Recap

McGrady’s Game Winner Seals Franchise-best Road Trip; Rockets Stun Lakers Without Yao, 76-74

By Dennis L. Silva,II.
12.18.05


It was obvious in the first half of Sunday night’s game against the Lakers that the Rockets wanted this torturous road trip to be over with. Drudging through their longest road trip since April of 1989, the Rockets had been through seven cities in twelve days, and were playing their fourth game in five nights. Circumstances were dowered even more so when the team sent Yao Ming home Sunday due to a toe injury that could possibly sideline him anywhere from ten days to two weeks. So it was clear that, down 31-42 at the half against a Lakers team who had won their previous three contests, the Rockets simply wanted to get the game over with, get on the plane, and get back home as soon as possible. Fortunately, David Wesley, Luther Head, and Tracy McGrady felt that, instead, they needed to finish business, and do something that no other Rockets club had done before them: win five games on a road trip. Not only did they defeat their historic rivals in purple and gold, but when McGrady’s slashing runner secured a 76-74 victory before 18,997at Staples Center, the Rockets had also secured a franchise-best five road wins in six games.

Neither team could get into any offensive flow as the game began. The Lakers held a 10-8 lead with 4:14 remaining in the first quarter. Juwan Howard scored four early points as Kobe Bryant picked up two quick fouls guarding McGrady. Unfortunately, the Rockets could not take advantage, and the Lakers held a grotesque 14-12 advantage heading into the second stanza.

The Lakers built their lead to six points after Sasha Vujacic and Bryant hit three-point shots early. The quarter then begot an exchange of scoring runs. First, LA went on a 9-0 spree to push their lead to 10 at 27-17. The Rockets responded by cutting their deficit to five, but the Lakers’ Devean George and Smush Parker hit 3-pointers to push the advantage back to 9. The Rockets closed to within six following a Luther Head 98 points on 2-7 3-point shooting) 3-point bomb, but Parker (9 points on 4-7 shooting) and Bryant (12 points and four assists) answered, scoring on layups on part of a 12-5 Lakers run, and an eventual 42-31 lead at the half.

The Rockets played a lifeless first half as they shot a mere 11-39 from the floor, and were outscored 20-10 in the paint. Houston also committed eight turnovers, a reflection of their sloppiness and reluctance on offense. At that point, it seemed as if the Rockets were too tired and/or unwilling to pick up the slack and gut out another victory. It turns out that that assumption would be incorrect.

The third quarter again started with a spurt of runs from both ballclubs. Houston scored five consecutive points to begin the period, but Bryant scored four points to answer. To make matters worse, the Lakers’ Brian Cook drew McGrady’s fourth foul of the game on an open-court layup attempt, and soon thereafter, LA held a 50-39 edge. What followed was what could be accurately labeled as an explosion from the Rockets offense. David Wesley came to life, scoring five points, McGrady hit a long trey, and Head hit another three as the Rockets pulled to within 51-52 with 5:34 left as part of a 12-2 run. Another McGrady trey, and a Howard midrange jump shot gave Houston a 55-52 lead. After Bryant scored on two free throws, Dikembe Mutombo scored on an offensive putback, and Wesley hit yet another Rockets bomb (Houston was 5-7 from the land of plenty in the period) to place Houston’s lead at 60-54 late. The Rockets did a brilliant job forcing Lakers turnovers, and Wesley scored 13 points in the period as the Houston outscored LA 34-15 in the period, and were out in front to begin the fourth quarter, 65-57.

The Rockets pushed their lead to 69-58 before Luke Walton hit a 3-pointer, and Vujacic scored on a layup to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 63-69 with 8:03 left. McGrady drew his fifth foul on a blocking call against Bryant, and Walton scored on a layup over Stromile Swift to pull LA to within 67-69 of Houston. The game stayed close and within either team’s reach until Wesley (18 points on 3-5 threes for the game) hit another trifecta to give Houston a 74-69 edge. But the game intensified when Lamar Odom scored on a jump hook with under a minute left in the contest to pull LA to within two points, and on the next Rockets possession, Kwame Brown stole the ball from McGrady to score on an easy fast-break dunk and tie the game at 74. The Rockets didn’t call timeout, and instead let McGrady work his magic. With under six seconds remaining, McGrady (20 points, 8 rebounds, four assists) drove left against a fleet of Lakers defenders, and score on a left-handed runner off the glass to give Houston the lead, and the game, at 76-74 with just 0.3 tenths of a second remaining. Parker’s errant 3-pointer meant that the Rockets would close the road trip with five wins in six games, a franchise record.

It was a tale of two halves for the Rockets. After allowing the Lakers to outscore them by eleven points in the first half, Houston returned the favor by outscoring LA by 13 in the second. After a 2-10 3-point shooting display in the first half, Houston hit 6-12 from downtown in the second, led by Wesley and Head (16 points on 4-11 from 3-point range).

The most interesting sidenote of the game was perhaps “the game within the game.” The subject of a multitude of trade rumors, Swift only played 19 minutes in the contest, even though the Rockets were without any true interior threat due to Yao’s absence. One could assume that this game would have been the ideal opportunity for Swift to exhibit his value as a member of the team. Instead he put forth four points and no rebounds in his limited time on the floor.

The Rockets also have to receive more help from their small forward slot. Having Bowen start is not the answer, and what’s worse, he seems more comfortable shooting, which has become to equivalent to a turnover. Bowen was 3-8 from the floor in his fifteen minutes, and had three rebounds.

The good news is that this injury-riddled team has earned two days of rest before they play Toronto at home on Wednesday. With Yao, Derek Anderson, Jon Barry, Rafer Alston, and Bob Sura all seeing (or will be seeing) significant time on the sidelines in street clothes, the Rockets must find a way to produce offense on a consistent basis.


ROCKETS RECAP

· Bryant came into the game having averaged the second-most points per game of any Rockets opponent since 1991 (24.0 ppg). In Sunday’s game, he tallied 24 points on 6-13 shooting.
· Mutombo left the game early in the fourth quarter with a dislocation and laceration of his finger. He did not return, but was productive in his first start this season. Mutombo produced a game-high nine rebounds, and three blocks.
· LA outscored Houston 34-22 in the paint.
· Assisting the efforts of McGrady, Wesley and Head was Juwan Howard, who compiled 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
· The Lakers shot 10-36 in the second half, and 1-12 from 3-point range.

http://www.nba.com/games/20051218/HOULAL/boxscore.html

 

You're right...My fault ...Thanks for bringing that up...