Houston Rockets: Five Reasons For Victory Over Spurs
Despite the absence of superstars Tim Duncan (rest) and Manu Ginobli (broken hand) on Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs gave the Houston Rockets quite a basketball game. Fortunately for the Clutch City faithful, Houston held on to beat the shorthanded Spurs 105-102 in a contest that wasn’t decided until Gary Neal missed a potentially tying three on the final play. The Toyota Center was packed and included smatterings of vocal flag-toters of the black and silver, and Houston fans witnessed a common result — winning. The Rockets have now won six games in a row and stand as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, primed for a playoff push (they are 10th at the moment) and potential tiebreaker advantage over the Spurs if they can beat their I-10 neighbors in San Antonio on February 1st. Here are five reasons Houston kept their sizzling streak alive Saturday:
1) Kyle Lowry’s clutch heroics. Amid chants of “All-Star” from the Red Rowdies, Lowry continues to make a strong case for a nod with his winning play down the stretch in games. Although he contributed a strong floor game throughout Saturday’s contest — he finished with eight assists and five rebounds — Lowry didn’t turn on the scoring jets until late, when his team truly needed a clutch offensive presence. He had four points heading into the game’s final minutes before finishing with 14, including a rugged layup and deeply launched trey from somewhere around the parking lot. The aforementioned triple could be considered a dagger of sorts, as it gave the Rockets a seven-point lead with three minutes to go. Lowry consistently shows he knows how to win, whether it takes an extra pass or ballsy shot. Houston fans probably wish he would ditch the unselfish schtick earlier in the game and start jacking triples before the game becomes a late nail biter.
2) Goran Dragic’s game-saving play. Dragic provided solid relief for Lowry and a host of energetic, “turning point” plays for the Rockets, including a buzzer beater at the climax of the 1st. But none were more important than his lucky teardrop with a little less than a minute left in the contest. The lead was two for Houston, and Lowry attempted a wild pass to Dragic, who chased the ball down just before it crossed half court for an over-and-back. After passing back to Lowry, Houston’s weary point lost the ball again on the dribble, only to see Dragic scoop up the wayward roundball and toss it in for a deuce just before the shot clock expired. The Rockets possessed a four-point lead they never relinquished, and Dragic finished with 14 points.
3) Kevin Martin’s buckets bonanza. Martin may have sat for the majority of the fourth quarter in favor of Courtney Lee, a stronger defender and rebounder, but without his 25 points and clutch pair of free throws down the stretch to seal the win, Houston would not have emerged victorious. Martin shot 10-21 from the field, a solid percentage considering the difficulty of his shots, and made a series of the awkward leaning runners he made his money on. Houston needed an elite scorer to carry the load Saturday night, and for three-fourths of the contest, Martin provided that role and helped Houston maintain a lead for the game’s majority.
4) Samuel Dalembert’s defensive presence. The “Bert” — pronounced “Bear” — provided six blocks and nullified the impact of undersized starting center DeJuan Blair. Without Duncan, San Antonio relied heavily on Tiago Splitter, who scored 25 and 10, but the Brazilian was exhausted and had little help in the paint because of Dalembert’s efforts. The Haitian Sensation warded off numerous shots in addition to the blocks — I can think of a few altered Tony Parker lay-ups — and completely changed the makeup of Houston’s lineup when in the game. The drop-off when Dalembert rested on the bench was stark, so the 6 ft. 11 vet needs to work on his conditioning.
5) Kevin McHale’s rotation tinkering. McHale continues to play the role of “Anti-Adelman” in terms of his willingness to adjust or change previously held player rotations. The first-year coach benched Rockets stalwarts Kevin Martin and Luis Scola for the majority of the fourth quarter for a more athletic, defensive-oriented lineup that included Lowry, Dragic, Lee, Dalembert, and Patrick Patterson. The change was wildly successful, as Dragic substituted for Martin’s scoring and Lee bolstered the defensive rebounding. Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard killed Martin on the glass all night and was a major reason San Antonio held an almost-20 rebound advantage over Houston, but the insertion of Lee nullified this problem. Scola has struggled recently with fatigue in the fourth quarter, missing routine shots regularly, so the much younger and more spry Patterson injected fresh energy at a position that tends to lag as the game wears on. McHale also benched Chase Budinger for the entire game, perhaps sending a sign to the former Arizona Wildcat that he needs to start making some shots and moving his feet on defense if he wants to play. Or perhaps “Air Bud” caught the flu from his former college buddy, Jordan Hill, who played limited minutes as he continues to battle the illness bug.
Buy Houston Rockets Tickets | Buy Houston Rockets ApparelLeave a Rant
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
FEATURED PARTNERS
