"Now that they get double-digit leads every night, the Rockets might want to work on keeping and enjoying those safe cushions.

Samuel Dalembert was not happy to have to say, "I feel like we take the long road."

But that is for another day — if the Rockets are fortunate enough to continue to build such wide margins.

On Saturday, they needed to return themselves to the scene of Thursday's fourth-quarter meltdown. They had led the San Antonio Spurs by 10, but less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, they were down five and facing the stretch in which they fell apart against the Hornets, managing all of seven fourth-quarter points."