[CHRON] Rockets find life on road

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Rockets find life on road
Defense leads rally past Kings in trip opener


By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. - The Rockets had spent all season looking for a night like this.

They were in trouble, down in the most hostile of arenas, with the Sacramento Kings rolling the way they used to.

Rarely had a game seemed less likely to end with the Rockets walking off with their first winning streak of the season, until with little warning, the Rockets choked the life out of the Kings' offense, and rolled through a 15-0 fourth-quarter run to a 106-95 win Thursday.

"We haven't done that before," Rockets guard Derek Anderson said. "Everybody said we'll make a couple stops and inch our way back in. It happened that way. Tracy (McGrady) started getting steals, and it ignited everything. We were getting steals. We were getting all the rebounds. And we were getting stops. And when we started getting stops, we started converting on the other end."

The Rockets scored more than they had in any game this season. McGrady had 28 points. Yao Ming had 21 with nine rebounds. Stromile Swift, 1-of-5 through three quarters, scored nine fourth-quarter points. But in many ways, the Rockets won with a stretch of defense.

The Rockets had searched all night for a defensive stand. Through three quarters, the Kings were shooting 62 percent, had led by as many as 14 points and seemed to be rolling.

For two minutes to end the third quarter and 10 in the fourth, the Kings had one field goal. The Rockets had taken their lead to as much as nine and led by seven when Yao blocked a Bonzi Wells shots and then swatted away a Shareef Abdur-Rahim attempt.

Brad Miller finally put in a jumper to cut the lead to five. But two McGrady free throws sent the game to its final 90 seconds with the Rockets leading by seven. Miller missed a jumper and Swift, who had provided a huge fourth-quarter lift, dropped in two free throws with 50.5 seconds left to ice it.

The Rockets had climbed back within three on Luther Head's 3-pointer, when Swift had a brief burst of offense that sent the Rockets surging past the Kings.

Swift slammed in a McGrady miss and then hit a jumper in the lane to put the Rockets in front 84-83 for their first lead since there were 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half.

Swift's greater play, however, might have been on the next trip down the court when he drew the defense and passed to Yao for a slam. Miller fouled Yao on the slam, giving him five with 6:04 left, while Yao made his free throw for a four-point lead.

When Head followed that by nailing another 3, the Rockets had a 15-0 run and their largest lead to date at 90-83.

The Kings pushed their lead to as much as 14 on a Miller 3 and still led by 13 heading into the final two minutes of the third quarter. But the Rockets pushed themselves back into the game, with McGrady draining a corner trey one-tenth of a second before the fourth quarter, to pull them within six.

Once in range, the Rockets were far better than they were all night. Better still, with the game and a chance at their first winning streak on the line, they were the best they have been this season.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com


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Rockets Summary

Playing time for Swift

The Rockets played Thursday with the starting lineup they used in their win Tuesday over the Boston Celtics — with Tracy McGrady and Ryan Bowen both starting — but are unlikely to settle on a rotation at backup center.

Dikembe Mutombo did not play at all Tuesday, with Stromile Swift getting playing time at center and power forward.

"We're just trying to find a rotation," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Dikembe has had some good moments, but sometimes I will play Stromile at the '5' (center) and we'll play small.

"Dikembe may play in certain games, may not in others. We're going to hopefully get something that works and solidify the team. (Swift) has a quickness advantage there. But you have to be aware that against power players it would not be his best matchup."

Swift said, "It works both ways. I just do whatever I can to help. Wherever they need me, that's where I'll play."


Inside the numbers
• 73.3 — Percent shooting for the Kings in the first quarter, the best in a quarter against the Rockets this season.
• 29 — Rockets' points in the first quarter, their high in that quarter this season.
• 33 — Shots taken by the Kings in the first half, their low in a half this season. They made 20.
• 106 — Rockets' points, a season high.

Last word
"It's part of the league. You can't make excuses. You have to mentally and physically take the abuse. You are going to miss your family. You're away from them a long time. But that's the league." — Forward Juwan Howard on the Rockets' six-game, 12-day road trip.

JONATHAN FEIGEN