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Rockets suffer last-minute setback to the Kings
Sacramento 99, Houston 98
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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
Before embarking on a trip across the West Coast, Rockets coach Rick Adelman
was convinced that his team could determine its postseason fate against a
collection of lottery-bound teams.
His team isn't off to a good start.
Despite having several opportunities in the closing minute to escape with a
much-needed win, the Rockets suffered their second straight setback with a
disappointing 99-98 loss to the struggling Sacramento Kings Tuesday night at
Arco Arena.
Tracy McGrady, who carried the Rockets most of the night with a game-high 32
points and seven rebounds, misfired on a potential game-winning, 18-foot
jumper at the buzzer.
Given the tight race for playoff seeding in the Western Conference, this one
hurt. The Rockets (49-25) slipped to sixth place in the West and now trail
the conference-leading New Orleans Hornets by 2 1/2 games with eight left in
the regular season.
"We just didn't play well at the end," Adelman said. "We made some poor
decisions down the stretch."
The Rockets certainly had their chances to pull this one out.
With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Shane Battier banked in an
off-balance three-pointer with the shot clock winding down that gave the
Rockets a 96-94 advantage.
Though Ron Artest answered with a three-pointer on the other end, the
Rockets still regained the lead when Luis Scola tossed in a pair of free
throws with 1:40 left to push his team ahead 98-97.
That, however, was the last time that the Rockets would ever lead.
Chuck Hayes missed a hook shot with just over a minute left that could have
stretched the advantage to three points and, after Kevin Martin put
Sacramento ahead for good with two free throws, Rafer Alston missed a wild
runner with 37.1 seconds remaining.
To Adelman, that's where the Rockets could have made better decisions.
"We didn't put the ball in the right people's hands," Adelman said. "You've
got to be smarter down the stretch."
Even so, the Rockets had another shot.
After forcing Ron Artest to throw the ball away in the waning moments, the
Rockets rushed down the floor for a final shot. McGrady caught the ball on
the left wing, where he was immediately doubled. He managed to heave up a
potential game-winner before the final horn, but missed the shot off the
back of the iron.
Despite having a couple of timeouts remaining, Adelman was happy with the
look that he got in the final seconds.
"They weren't set and we got a good shot," Adelman said. "I'll take that
shot from Tracy any day."
McGrady had carried the Rockets from start to finish.
Despite struggling with his shooting touch since spraining his left
shoulder, McGrady was hot for the first time in weeks against the Kings. He
nailed five of his first seven shots, going to the break with 15 points.
During the third quarter, he picked up where he left out. The Rockets'
shooting guard scored 12 in the period as Houston inched within 77-76 of
Sacramento going to the fourth.
Unfortunately, McGrady cooled off over the final 12 minutes. He missed all
seven of his shots in the fourth quarter. Alston tried to pick up the slack
with a pair of critical three-pointers, helping him finish with 18 points.
Scola, meanwhile, added 20 points and eight rebounds.
But in the end, it wasn't enough.
Rather than making up more ground in the crowded Western Conference playoff
race, the Rockets dropped a heartbreaker in Sacramento.
"You got to try to win as many games as you can," Adelman said. "Everyone is
in the same position. That's why this one hurts because you had a chance to
win it."
