Hornets’ West Wins Game, Extends Misery for Rockets, 92-90 By Dennis L. Silva, II. 12.28.05 If recent trade rumors hold any merit, the Rockets can take at least one positive away from Wednesday night’s contest against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets: the trade value of Stromile Swift just skyrocketed as he contributed his best game as a Rocket; however, as has been the case this season, his best was not enough. The Rockets held a lead late in the game before crumbling down the stretch, and the Hornets walked away 92-90 victors before a sold-out crowd of 19,206 at Ford Center in Oklahoma City. The Rockets’ defense suffered from the opening minute as they had no answer for the speed of the Hornets’ backcourt. JR Smith opened with a flying dunk, Desmond Mason scored on an assortment of layups inside, and rookie Chris Paul (8 assists in the first half) had no problem breaking down Houston’s interior defense. As a result of the lack of attention on defense, the Hornets had scored eight fast break points and claimed a 19-8 lead on behalf of a 9-0 scoring run. The Rockets’ offense could not make up for the porous defense, producing only 3-12 shooting from the floor. But a three-pointer from Tracy McGrady in the closing seconds of the quarter cut the Hornets’ advantage to 26-17. McGrady (23 points, 7-15 shooting in the first half) scored early and often to begin the second quarter as Houston managed a 30-30 tie early. But New Orleans/Oklahoma City went on yet another scoring spree (13-2) and held a 43-32 lead with 4:47 left. The Rockets stayed competitive due to the play of McGrady and Swift, who came off the bench to score 10 points and grab seven rebounds in the first half. Swift displayed an aggression and intensity that had been absent this season, and the Rockets fed off his energy. David Wesley (2-2 from 3-point range) nailed five consecutive points, and McGrady scored in every way possible as Houston’s deficit was a mere four points (47-51) heading into halftime. Swift (9 points and four rebounds in the quarter) continued his strong play in the third quarter, scoring five consecutive points of his own as Houston held a 62-59 lead with 5:48 remaining. Behind the strength of Dikembe Mutombo’s imposing defense (10 rebounds in 21 minutes) and McGrady’s endless assault (9 points), the Rockets turned the tables and led the Hornets 72-68 heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the fourth stanza bore no such positive results for the Rockets. Paul (who would end up with a career-high 15 assists) hit a 15-foot jumper to regain the lead for the Hornets with 6:30 left. From that point, the Hornets’ forgot they were an 11-15 ballclub and became an offensive juggernaut. Led by Rasual Butler’s three treys, the Hornets pushed their lead to nine with just minutes remaining. The Rockets held a stand of their own as Luther Head hit a 3-pointer from the left wing, and Swift (26 points, 13 rebounds) scored on a lay-up the following possession to cut the Hornets’ lead to four (88-84). Swift scored again when McGrady found him unattended underneath the basket with 48 seconds left. Butler missed on a fadeaway, and McGrady (38 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) was fouled on the ensuing possession as he tied the game at 90 with 12.5 seconds to play. The Hornets’ didn’t call a timeout to set up a play, and David West nailed a jumper from the top of the key to give the Hornets a 92-90 lead with 1.8 seconds on the clock. The Rockets called a 20-second timeout, but saw no result as Swift missed on a rushed lay-up attempt. The Rockets have two days off before playing an early evening game against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center on New Year’s Eve. ROCKETS RECAP · The Hornets outscored the Rockets 30-22 in the paint. · Six Hornets scored in double figures: Smith (16 points, 6-12 FGs), West (15 points, 7 rebounds), Butler (15 points, 3-4 threes), Speedy Claxton (14 points, 5 assists), Mason (13 points, 5-9 FGs), and Paul (11 points, 15 assists). · Swift’s 26 points accounted for all of Houston’s bench scoring. · The Hornets outscored Houston 18-0 in transition. · Houston’s starting backcourt of Luther Head and David Wesley combined for 5-20 shooting (3-13 from downtown) and 16 points. http://www.nba.com/games/20051228/HOUNOK/boxscore.html
Looks like Head has cooled off from that hot start. He fires threes like crazy. Kid has guts, maybe just too much though. His defense is horrible, from what i saw, shaq could do a crossover on him. Head really needs to D up.
Head played alright today... its just that the rim had a lid on it for him until the very end. I liked the play he did where he floated in the air and drew the foul. Had Juwan not done a Charles Smith at the end, or if Butler didn't hit all those lucky threes against us, we would've won. Oh well... fun game to watch though. Oh yeah, and theres no reason Swift couldn't hit that two foot bank shot at the buzzer. Dunk that, man!! That play was set up beautifully by JVG.
