ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Wizards 1/3/2006

Rafer did an awesome game, handed 10 ast, this is what we need in PG!
He looks more like the old guy in Toronto, hopefully, it continues!

 

Lucas III had a great game. He helped set the tempo for the offense tonight.

 

I can finally sleep better tonight knowing we win.

Hopefully this is the turning point of the season for us, and we go on a 15 game winning streak.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=AmsSrQ4X1Gny2o.If6Lv6.a8vLYF?gid=2006010327

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tracy McGrady matched his season high with 38 points, and the Houston Rockets broke a five-game losing streak with a rare offensive outburst, routing the Washington Wizards 123-111 Tuesday night.

The Rockets, averaging a league-low 87.6 points entering the game, set a season high for field goal percentage (55.1) and became the second team in as many games to set a new season high in points against the slumping Wizards.

The Rockets hardly looked like the team that had lost by an average of 10 points during its five-game skid, all without injured center Yao Ming. They moved the ball well and shot even better, taking command from the opening minutes and building a second-quarter double-digit lead that wasn't threatened until a late Wizards rally.

McGrady made 11 of 24 field goals and 14 of 16 free throws. Juwan Howard added a season-high 24 points and Rafer Alston had season highs with 17 points and 10 assists for the Rockets, who hadn't scored more than 90 points in their previous seven games.

Gilbert Arenas did his best to keep up with McGrady, scoring 44 for the Wizards, but Washington looked like a team in slow motion on offense for 3 1/2 quarters, with passes that were a split-second late and off-balance jumpers that didn't have much of a chance.

Caron Butler scored 20 and Antawn Jamison 17 for the Wizards, who were soundly booed by the home fans once the deficit hit 20 in the third quarter. They trailed by 26 before mounting a fourth-quarter comeback that cut the lead to eight after a five-point sequence that included a flagrant foul and a 3-pointer from Arenas.

But Howard steadied the Rockets with nine fourth-quarter points, helping Houston remain ahead while McGrady was on the bench with five fouls.

The Wizards have lost three straight, all at home, and they had targeted the Rockets game as the first of a five-game stretch against teams under .500 -- a chance to turn the season around after a mediocre start.

Notes

The Rockets bench scored 16 points before the Wizards bench finally got on the board in the second quarter. The final bench scoring was 28-27, in favor of Houston. ... Arenas has five 40-point games this season, including back-to-back tallies of 47 and 44. The Wizards are only 2-3 in those games. ... Stromile Swift and Alston fouled out for the Rockets. Alston kissed official Ron Olesiak on the temple while walking to the bench after his sixth foul.

lol nice skip!

 

[1.3.06] Rockets-Wizards Game Recap

Supporting Cast Steps Up as Rockets Break Losing Streak, Defeat Wizards 123-111

By Dennis L. Silva, II.
1.03.06

When the Houston Rockets crossed 100 points scored five minutes into the fourth quarter, Rockets fans had a cozy warmth overwhelm them. That’s because they knew the Rockets were 5-0 in games in which they scored 100 or more points. That minute statistic bore truth once again as the Rockets displayed a balance and efficiency on offense that had been absent throughout the season. Six Rockets scored in double figures as Houston demolished their five-game losing streak, defeating the Washington Wizards 123-111 before a crowd of 14,883 at MCI Center.

The Rockets got off to a fast start, claiming an early 10-2 (eight of which came from Tracy McGrady) lead as the Wizards shot 2-9 from the floor to start the game. Rafer Alston was punishing on defense, hounding Wizards All-Star Gilbert Arenas into three turnovers. Unfortunately, the Rockets were unable to keep key players out of foul trouble. Four Rockets (Dikembe Mutombo, Alston, David Wesley, and McGrady) had two or more fouls in the first quarter alone. That, along with the Wizards grabbing six offensive rebounds in the period, allowed Washington to cut into Houston’s lead, 27-21, heading into the second quarter.

The strong play continued for the Rockets in the second period. Houston’s offense ran smoothly (16 assists in the first half), with each player attempting to push the ball and get easy baskets. The Rockets shot 58% (22-38) in the first half, and outscored the Wizards 22-10 in the paint. John Lucas III came off the bench and supplied great energy, using his quickness and athleticism to pass the ball and slice through the Wizards’ porous interior defense. Juwan Howard (12 points and four rebounds in the first half) nailed three early baskets, and Luther Head scored 5 points as Houston produced a 57-46 lead heading into halftime. More impressive was the fact that Houston outscored Washington 17-12 while McGrady (23 points on 8-12 shooting) was sitting on the bench due to foul trouble.

The third quarter was “The Rafer Alston Show” as the former And 1 legend outscored Washington 10-2 to start the period, leading the Rockets to a 67-48 advantage. Wesley added seven consecutive points of his own, and when Dikembe Mutombo scored on an alley-oop pass from Howard, Houston held a 76-52 lead midway. The Wizards tried a lineup change as coach Eddie Jordan inserted an explosion of energy and hustle into his unit. But the efforts of Calvin Booth, Chucky Atkins, and Michael Ruffin were no match for the Rockets, and did nothing but make a slight dent into the Rockets’ lead.

The Wizards would cut the Rockets’ edge down to eight on two separate occasions in the fourth quarter, but they never got any closer. Stromile Swift (13 points, 8 rebounds) continued his string of effective play, scoring on a 3-point play late to stave off the first Wizards comeback attempt. Arenas (44 points, 5-10 from three-point range) put forth his most valiant effort to prevent a Rockets victory, but when Alston (17 points, 10 assists) nailed a clutch trey from the left wing, and Wesley (12 points, 2-3 from downtown) added five points late, the Rockets had secured the victory.

Apparently, the new year has brought a newfound exuberance on the offensive end for Houston. The Rockets shot 55% for the game, including 52% (9-17) from 3-point range. The worst offense in the league also accumulated 29 assists.

The Rockets travel to Cleveland to play LeBron James and the Cavs Thursday on TNT.


ROCKETS RECAP

· Houston outrebounded Washington 43-37.
· The Rockets outscored the Wizards 46-32 in the paint.
· Howard scored a season-high 24 points, along with seven rebounds.
· Washington outscored Houston 41-34 in the fourth period.
· Antawn Jamison scored 17 points for Washington, Caron Butler added 20, and Antonio Daniels compiled 11 off the bench.


http://www.nba.com/games/20060103/HOUWAS/boxscore.html

 

I picked the Wizards to make the playoffs. Scratch that.

Didn't see the game but didn't have to. They obviously miss Larry Hughes a lot and couldn't play defense if their lives depended on it. It was funny watching the posts here as the game wound down. Listening to Gene & Jim, I never got worried because it seemed like we would always keep scoring.

 

Fix this part, otherwise a nice recap as usual.

 

good look...appreciate it...

 

nice recap!

 

I wonder where the tracy bashers are know?.. credit to rafer and howard for putting forth really solid outputs.

 

Great job as allways champ.

 

They showed them together at the Lakers game the other day when it was on..

but anyways... who thinks we will face San Antonio in the playoffs? I mean seriously.. if we make it.. it will probably be barely at the 8th seed.

 

I saw this game in person and am still in shock that the Rockets won in my presence. That never happens.

Swift and Howard looked really good out there in tandem. It was weird to see the middle without a Yao or Deke in it, but during those minutes our PFs worked the boards hard and were just quicker and more agile than the centers. With both guys on, it worked to our advantage.

Alston moved the ball around fast and really well -- exactly what Wesley couldn't do, though he tried, bless his heart -- and shot as well as James when it came back to him.

The thing that struck me about McGrady up close is the tightness of the spaces he willed himself into. He'd have two guys on him, two more waiting between him and the basket, and he'd just weave his way in there anyway and get the basket or the call.

Also Luther -- that guy plays like there's no tomorrow. He's on the floor when the ball's loose, pushing it when he's got it, and he forces his teammates to raise their tempo. He's a reminder of the virtues of youth, when you've got a good (um) head on your shoulders.

Can somebody explain to me why a guy as athletic as Swift is such a clumsy fouler? I mean, McGrady fouled Nowitzki a dozen times a game in last season's Dallas series, but of course the refs seldom call it because his defense, like his traveling, is too pretty to whistle. But Swift, who's also supposed to be athletic, just bulls into people or rams a shoulder into them with no art whatsoever, forcing the refs to call him just for being ugly. Is grace beyond him? A little grace would easily cut his foul-out games in half.

That's all I can think of at the moment. My worry at the end of the game was that we'd run out of players. When Swift went out I started hyperventilating to my friend, "No! Not Bowen! No!" But of course he came in. Which reminds me, during the halftime shootaround I watched Bowen to see whether he could shoot with nobody on him. He couldn't. Then I remembered: I already knew this from watching him in games.

 

Excellent! Thanks for the concise summary

 

LOL. the kitten lives.. actually I gave him like 3 cans of food for the win.

 

Finally...time to jump back onto the bandwagon guys.

 

wooooooaaaa, over 120 points!!!!!!!!


now time to deal with CAVs

 

A half-strength team with a 60 year old center looked dominant against a fairly decent Washington team. The Rockets will be scary come playoff time with Yao, DA and Barry back

 

Very encouraging to see everyone contributing on the offensive end along with much better passing. I hope we will be able to maintain the momentum against the Cavs.

 

A great game. Alston's play tonight is wonderful. Dribbling, shotting, and attacking the rim, like a star. Macgrady is also good tonight.