Rockets Recover In Time To Roll Past Kings

Huge second half carries Houston to 115-98 win

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - Finding themselves out of sync and out of sorts against one of the NBA’s worst teams, the Rockets desperately needed someone to give them a spark.

It seemed only fitting that Ron Artest would be the one to provide it.

Returning to Sacramento for the first time since the big trade which brought him to Houston last summer, Artest keyed a pivotal third quarter run which helped the Rockets transform an 8-point deficit into an 11-point cushion by the end of the frame, as Houston overcame a sloppy start to post a 115-98 victory over the Kings.

Artest scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the crucial quarter; one which saw the Rockets outscore Sacramento by a 36-20 margin. It made for a sweet homecoming of sorts for Houston’s swingman, who spent two and a half years as a King before the deal which placed him in Rockets red.

"We started playing solid ball in the third quarter and began playing off Yao,” said Artest who was 10-18 from the field, including 3-5 from three-point land. “We got the ball into Yao and he was finding the open man. In the third quarter it happened to be me a lot.

“We got loose balls and we boxed out in the second half. We out-hustled them and were quicker in the game - all the (little) things that count.”

Indeed, the Rockets were a completely different team in the second half, shooting a scintillating 68 percent from the field while limiting Sacramento to just 44 points. That stood in stark contrast to the game’s opening 24 minutes, when the Kings seemingly scored at will and beat Houston to every loss ball.

“The first half, (Sacramento) came out shooting the ball well and we were very inactive defensively,” said Coach Rick Adelman. “We didn’t have the intensity we had the last two games at home. But our guys turned it up in the second half. When we started defending it led to a better offensive game, too.

“I don’t know if it was because we had those two tough games at home – all we talked about (before the game) was how dangerous this team is. But give our guys credit; in the second half they really did what they needed to do.”

Luis Scola said he and his teammates knew they couldn’t afford to blow a game against the team with the NBA’s worst record; especially with the Rockets currently engaged in a dogfight for playoff positioning.

“We weren’t playing the way we wanted and we said, ‘Hey guys, we need to decide what we want to be. Do we want to be a team who’s fighting for home court advantage or do we want to be a team who’s just running down the season?’ So we came out really hard in the second half and got a win that we really need.”

As a result, the Rockets climbed a half game over San Antonio for sole possession of first place in the Southwest Division – the latest in-season date Houston has laid claim to the top spot since winning the Midwest Division title in the 1993-94 campaign. What’s more, the Rockets now occupy the No.3 seed in the Western Conference and are just a game and a half behind Denver (against whom they own the head-to-head tiebreaker) for the No. 2 seed – a spot which many would have deemed out of the Rockets’ reach back when the club was fighting through injuries and inconsistency two months ago.

“I didn’t expect especially this, but I knew it could be good,” said Scola, who chipped in with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. “We have a very good team, a great defense and a lot of players who are very talented. I knew we could be good, how good – I didn’t know. But we still have a lot of work to do.

“For now, we have three games left and if we win all three we know we’ll have home court advantage, no matter what happens with the other teams. So we just need to win and forget about who won or who lost and whatever happens to other teams. We need to go out there and take care of business. If we lose a couple games, we may drop all the way to sixth place. So it’s really important; we have three games left – we just need to win them all.”

QUOTES

Rick Adelman

The first half, they came out shooting the ball well and we were very inactive defensively and we didn’t have the intensity we had the last two games at home. But our guys turned it up in the second half. When we started defending it led to a better offensive game, too. I don’t know if it was because we had those two tough games at home – all we talked about was how dangerous this team is, and tomorrow night (against Golden State), too. But give our guys credit; in the second half they really did what they needed to do.

(timeout early after halftime): I was just repeating the same thing. We had to get our heads into it. We were just a step slow, we weren’t helping each other and I pretty much just said the same thing (said at halftime).

(Artest): Ron was very good tonight. He made some big shots for us in the second half and I thought he played his guy well. But he’s been playing well for us and staying within what we want to do, and when he does that he’s very good.

(On the play of point guards Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks):

“They were playing well. With the trade, we thought Aaron was ready to step up and we thought we were getting a good player in Kyle. The only thing they may be lacking is just experience. They just don’t have the experience that everyone else has, but we feel good about how they have been playing.”

Ron Artest

We just stayed with it. We came out bad, but stayed solid, and that just shows that Von, Kyle and Aaron are growing up game by game.

(On what propelled them to the win):

“We had a rough first half and I wish we could have played better but it just doesn’t happen like that every time. In the second half, our young ‘fellas stepped it up tonight. They stepped it up for us today. They stepped up huge.

"We started playing solid ball in the third quarter and began playing off Yao. We got the ball into Yao and he was finding the open man. In the third quarter it happened to be me a lot."

(On what they did to pull away):

“Even though Sacramento’s record is not that good, we did a lot of little things tonight. We got loose balls and we boxed out in the second half. We out-hustled and were quicker in the game. All the things that count.”

(On whether he played extra hard against his old team):

“We play extra hard every night. It doesn’t matter who it is. There are a lot of good things to remember about Sacramento.”

(On seeing his old teammates):

“It was good to see those guys grow. I am happy for them. I am happy to see Jason (Thompson). When he was first drafted, I called him and told him we were going to win a championship. He was like “yeah, we are going to win”. He is aggressive but has got a lot to learn. He still plays young and needs to grow up a little bit, but he is talented. Spencer is looking good and ‘Cisco is playing great. They are just a few good veterans away. Hopefully they get the number one pick.”

Luis Scola

It wasn’t (pleasant). We weren’t playing the way we wanted and we said, ‘Hey guys, we need to decide what we want to be. Do we want to be a team who’s fighting for home court advantage or do we want to be a team who’s just running down the season?’ So we came out really hard in the second half and got a win that we really need.

(rebounding issues early): They definitely were outrebounding us for a half and we knew that couldn’t happen if we wanted to be who we want to be. I think we kind of changed the second half, especially on defense. I think our defense played way better in the second half and when we play good defense, everything is easy for us.

(on the final few games) For now, we have three games left and if we win all three we know we’ll have home court advantage, no matter what happens with the other teams. So we just need to win and forget about who won or who lost and whatever happens to other teams. We need to go out there and take care of business. If we lose a couple games, we may drop all the way to sixth place. So it’s really important; we have three games left – we just need to win them all.

I didn’t expect especially this, but I knew it could be good. We have a very good team, a great defense and a lot of players who are very talented. I knew we could be good, how good – I didn’t know. But we still have a lot of work to do.

Interim Head Coach Kenny Natt

“Well we couldn’t get the shot. I mean the key with us has been being able to get shots and we did that in the first half – we hit shots and that’s why we were in the ballgame. Then we came out in the third quarter and we didn’t do anything different but the shots didn’t fall. When our shots don’t fall our defense struggles as well and we start hanging our heads – and that’s what happened. They’re a veteran ballclub – they just stayed with it. Give them credit – they played a great ballgame and we just had a very bad third quarter that put us in a bind.”

(On the play of Spencer Hawes against Yao Ming):

“He and Jason (Thompson) did a good job when they were on him. They were moving and he’s a load. Considering the fact that our guys were able to stand him up, move around, play with him – they’re learning how to stand him up and then release on guys. All these things you learn with experience. These guys are picking up on little keys that are going to really help them along the road. I was really encouraged by their effort. They stood up to the challenge of Yao being an All-Star and they held their own in that respect. We did a good job as I said earlier of coming down and giving them help, but it all started with them being able to just take him one-on-one or until we could get the help down there. So from that standpoint they did what they were supposed to do. Ron Artest had an outstanding game as well.”

Spencer Hawes

The third quarter is the same thing that we have battled all year. There’s that little stretch where we let our guard down and they take advantage. I think it’s not executing on our end. And we forced it a couple of times when they put the pressure on us.

(On Yao Ming):

He’s a tough player any way you slice it. And even when he’s not scoring, he’s setting people up. So you can’t take anything completely away from him.

(On Ron Artest):

He’s out there jawing at everyone. It’s a pretty good time.

(On his progress):

I’m pretty happy with it. I’m not thrilled and I know there’s still things out there I’m not doing.

Jason Thompson

(On His and Spencer’s play together):

We’re trying to just develop our game and get a lot of chemistry to finish out the season. We pretty much have to finish this out and look forward to next year. But hopefully we can also see bright spots as the season goes along.

(About what was going well for you at the beginning):

It’s kind of crazy, like I said before, with the playoff contending teams. I feel like we play up to their competition a little bit. We had a great start and we finished the half strong, we came out a little sluggish in the third quarter. With a team that’s trying to get the third seed in the west you can’t do stuff like that. It kind of bit us at the end of the game.

(On Yao Ming):

He has a big presence. He is a guy that’s obviously an All-Star. At 7’ 6”, it’s legit. You can’t let him get in the deep post position because it’s a guaranteed bucket. You have to start early so you don’t get him in the post position.

It’s been a long rookie season, and as a team it hasn’t been the one I’d hoped for. But it’s been a good ride. Hopefully, we can end with a home win and something to look forward to next season.

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