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Houston Rockets News

Rockets' Goran Dragic prepares for third reunion with Suns
February 3
Arizona Republic
 
"It has been nearly a year since Goran Dragic was awakened by Steve Nash on a Suns team flight and told that he had been traded. It seemed like a joke, like when Nash converted Leandro Barbosa into an Avatar to wake up Robin Lopez on a flight for a video. But it was the stark truth and it felt like a separation from the only American family the Slovenian had. Dragic missed Phoenix, but let it go quickly last year to finish strongly with Houston in a season that his struggles reflected the Suns' bench problems. Dragic would like to make a better showing against the Suns than in two post-trade meetings last season, when he did not make a shot in 20 minutes, and show how he feels he is in a"
Rockets' grueling road trip will test their progress
February 3
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets did not get the win Wednesday night. Kyle Lowry did not break through or leave his shooting slump behind. But the changes were obvious. They played much better, even in blowing a 19-point lead against the Spurs, than they had in the defensive debacle against the Timberwolves. But as the Rockets await one more home game, tonight against the Suns, before taking off on their longest road trip of the season, the changes go beyond improved defense or effort. The finger-pointing and second-guessing that followed Monday's loss were gone. The video session was shorter and nowhere near as painful."
Blame the refs? Not until Rockets learn to play defense for four quarters
February 2
Houston Chronicle
 
"Since the Rockets cannot – no matter what they do or how hard they try or how much wish they could – change the charging call against Courtney Lee or several others they still can't believe, there is a little matter of those 60 second-half Spurs points. They can't do anything about that, either, but they do play the Suns, who put up 120 on Wednesday, on Friday. They face the Timberwolves, who whipped them on Monday, the next night. They go to Denver and Portland where the home teams are rolling. If they can't find a way to stop somebody, games won't be coming down to a call or two very often. The defense made huge strides, at least for awhile, on Wednesday. The improvements were not"
Why the defensive switch on Kevin Martin changed the game
February 2
San Antonio Express-News
 
"After Kevin Martin blistered the Spurs for 21 points in the first half on an assortment of jumpers, Gregg Popovich had seen enough. The Spurs coach changed his defensive strategy with the idea of forcing Martin to drive more after the break. A rotation of fresh defenders was employed, with Danny Green and Gary Neal getting most of the work. "A guy like that, once he gets going, you have to throw different things at him," Green said. "We had multiple guys guarding him. All you can do is to try to deny him catching it. And when he catches it, just be annoying so he doesn't get rhythm and make shots. Luckily, he cooled down when we needed him to.""
Rockets trying to acquire Kaman
February 1
SI.com
 
"The Houston Rockets have had extensive discussions with the New Orleans Hornets about center Chris Kaman and appear to be in the lead to trade for him, numerous sources told SI.com. The NBA-owned Hornets, who acquired Kaman from the Clippers in the Chris Paul deal on Dec. 15, rendered him inactive last week and publicly acknowledged their decision to trade him. Hornets general manager Dell Demps has been shopping for a deal involving young players and draft picks while the big man awaits his next destination. Kaman, 29, an All-Star in 2009-2010 when he averaged 18.5 points and 9.2 rebounds, is making $14 million in the last year of his contract. Dealing with the Hornets means any trade"
Rockets decide the court is for playing, not talking
February 1
Houston Chronicle
 
"As the Rockets gathered Tuesday after practice, forward Luis Scola — the team's oldest and longest-tenured player — delivered a message more meaningful than the usual group shouts of "Rockets!" "Shut the … up and play!" Scola said. Guard Kyle Lowry followed that directive, refusing comment a day after saying coaches failed to "adjust" to Minnesota. The Rockets did say, however, that Scola's message was about more than a few postgame quotes after a bad loss. They cited finger-pointing on the court during the game and "chitchat" during practice the next day."
Scola's solution to Rockets' issues is to work harder
February 1
Houston Chronicle
 
"Long after Monday's game and again after Tuesday's practice, Rockets forward Luis Scola pushed himself through sets of shooting drills, cutting through imaginary screens to take 18-foot jumpers. "I try to do it all the time," Scola said of the extra work. "Sometimes we don't have time. I don't like the way I'm playing. I know just one way to get back to what I do — just work hard." Rockets coach Kevin McHale described the effort as typical of Scola but not everyone. "Luis is just a hard worker," McHale said. "There's a reason that guy's a winner. … He's just a grinder; he's a worker. He makes it easy to come to work. I can't say that for everybody.""
When Rockets let up, they're in for a letdown
January 31
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jerome Solomon
"Astros owner Jim Crane sat courtside at Toyota Center, occasionally biting his fingernails. Perhaps he was contemplating a name change for the Rockets. A wise guy on press row suggested the Matadors. But that might be too kind. I vote for the Beaswax. If you saw what Minnesota's Michael Beasley did to the Rockets on this night, you would understand. Most certainly, the Defenders wouldn't make the cut. Not after the Rockets played defense like they were in the Pro Bowl. Do keep in mind, in this case we're using the term defense loosely, which, as it were, is precisely how the Rockets played defense, so perhaps it is poetic."
Rockets blame lack of "adjustments" for blowout loss
January 31
Houston Chronicle
 
"Whether it was the intention to second guess Kevin McHale and his staff or not, whether it was just pride covering for an atrocious defensive performance, Rockets guards Kyle Lowry and Courtney Lee said the Rockets failed to 'make adjustments." The translation was that the coaches let them down. And the accusation came with Rick Adelman, the coach they wanted to have back this season, sitting down the hall in the visiting locker room with a fresh 120-108 butt-kicking of his former team."
A record-setting night for Michael Beasley
January 31
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Greetings from Houston. Youngblood here. I had the distinct privilege to cover tonight's game. It was something to watch. You probably already know the numbers. That the victory, the Wolves' fifth on the road, matches their road win totals from each of the past two seasons. That the Wolves' 42 third-quarter points was the most in the third quarter in franchise history. That Michael Beasley's 34 points off the bench matched the franchise record for a Wolves reserve."
Timberwolves 120, Rockets 108: Wolves use 42-point third to roll past Rockets
January 31
Houston Chronicle
 
"It might have seemed like the Rockets did nothing special to welcome Rick Adelman back to town. There was no special announcement, no thanks-for-the-memories video. Then the game began, and they could not have been more accommodating. When Ricky Rubio drove to the rim, they got out of the way. When Kevin Love took jumpers, they watched closely. Most of all, when Michael Beasley went to work, they were helpless. Back in Toyota Center for the first time since he was allowed to leave, Adelman walked out with a 120-108 blowout as his Timberwolves reached their season high in points while scoring more than any team had this season against the Rockets. "We never found anything defensively,""
Rockets' Courtney Lee involved in serious car accident
January 30
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Courtney Lee escaped without injury from a serious car accident several hours after Saturday's game at Toyota Center. Lee said Sunday that he and two passengers in his vehicle were not hurt, but that the driver of the other car was badly injured. "The other driver ran a red light doing like 100 mph," Lee said via a text message on Sunday. The other driver was rushed to a hospital. Rockets spokesman Nelson Luis said the accident occurred "four or five blocks from Toyota Center around midnight." A Houston Police Department spokesman said a police report was not available on Sunday."
Compressed schedule forces Rockets to revisit routines
January 30
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Kevin Martin made his way downstairs from the Toyota Center practice court confident he would play Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks. "Looking good," he reported cheerily. Minutes later, trainer Keith Jones sat Martin down for a talk. Martin would remain on the inactive list for a second game as the doctors considered the swelling in his right heel and the Rockets looked to the lockout-season schedule. In any other season, Martin, 28, would have been free to play. Instead, he received another reminder this is a season unlike any other. "Everything we do is geared toward recovery. Everything," Jones said. "We changed our whole routine for this compressed"
Rockets 97, Knicks 84: Reserves lead way in another rout
January 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"Kevin McHale's plan to tighten his rotation has not worked out at all as he planned. He thought the Rockets had reached the point of the season, as they approached their 20th game, in which he would go with a short bench with well-defined roles. Instead for the past two nights, he's been able to go 13 deep. More than just giving him a chance to clear his bench, his second unit keyed consecutive blowouts, adding a 97-84 rout of the Knicks on Saturday to the romp past the Wizards on Friday. After chances to play everyone as if he was coaching a YMCA team, McHale is ready to let his rotation grow by at least one player when Kevin Martin's sore right foot allows him to return."
With another rout, Rockets have whipped some weaklings, but have gotten stronger, too
January 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"For those so inclined, it would not be difficult to diminish the Rockets turnaround. They beat bunches of bad and injury-depleted teams. They beat the Spurs without Tim Duncan, the Hornets without Eric Gordon, the Timberwolves without Michael Beasley, Martell Webster, Wesley Johnson, J.J. Barea and Brad Miller. The Knicks were without Carmelo Anthony. The Wizards were without a clue. All that might be true, but it ignores larger points. The Rockets did what they were supposed to do, winning nine of 10 games to climb to the top of the Southwest Division and to fourth in the West. And as they move on to a tougher portion of the schedule, they are a better team than when they limped to a 3-7"
Rockets orders: Martin sits out against Knicks
January 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Kevin Martin reported to Toyota Center planning to play against the Knicks, having sat out Friday's win over the Timberwolves. He went through shooting drills in the morning and a walk-through in the afternoon. He was then told to take another night off to give the inflammation in his right heel more time to heal. He is day-to-day. "He would like to play," coach Kevin McHale said. "We talked to the doctors this afternoon. They just started him on a pack of anti-inflammatory stuff. They want to let that take hold a little more. He was disappointed he wasn't going to play. This is a crazy schedule. We'd much rather have him be a little more cautious tonight. We have eight games"
Budinger earned a return to the rotation
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"For the first time in more than a week, Chase Budinger got off the Rockets bench with an opportunity to show he could still help the Rockets. When he last played, in the game the Rockets scored seven fourth-quarter points, he took two shots, both 3-pointers, and missed them both. With Courtney Lee back, Kevin McHale opted for more small lineups, with Lee playing with two guards. Budinger watched. When he returned to the court on Friday, he nailed his first shot, another trey, and would knock down three more. He finished with a season-high 21 points, making 8 of 14 shots, 4 of 6 from distance. But he knew that those numbers would have little to do with earning a consistent spot in the"
Flu takes toll on first-time victim Jordan Hill
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets center Jordan Hill returned to practice Friday after several days of battling the flu, an experience that included an ambulance ride and night in the hospital where he received four liters of fluid intravenously. "It was the first time I ever had the flu," Hill said. "Now I know what to expect. It felt like it was going to be the last time. I was scared. I never felt like that before." It's a rarity — practice time The Rockets on Friday held their first practice since Jan. 9 and worked on execution. "We had to clean up on some things defensively, then some stuff offensively," coach Kevin McHale said. "It was nice to be on the floor where you can actually watch video, show the guys"
Budinger comes off bench to star in blowout win
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"As Chase Budinger went through his pregame shooting drills, there was none of his usual pregame cheeriness. There was little conversation, none of his frequent showy slams on his way off the court. Budinger was in no mood to goof around after a run of games stuck on the bench. He also believed his chance to return to the floor was coming with Kevin Martin out. Either way, when Budinger got his chance, he jolted the Rockets out of some first-half doldrums en route to a 103-76 blowout of the Washington Wizards on Friday night at Toyota Center, their biggest rout of the season. "It was very (difficult), especially when you've been playing for a couple of years, getting consistent minutes,""
Rockets' McHale brings new meaning to 'small ball'
January 27
Houston Chronicle
 
"When Rockets coach Kevin McHale said so often he would shrink his rotation, it was assumed he meant he would play fewer players. McHale has, but the downsizing has been bigger than that. The starters have remained the same through nine games, but McHale has played his point guards, Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic, together. He has played his backup shooting guard, Courtney Lee, as a small forward. He has played his small forward, Chandler Parsons as a power forward. When small was not small enough — for five minutes as the Rockets ran away from the Timberwolves — McHale even had all 185 pounds of Kevin Martin as a "power" forward."
Rockets' Kevin McHale has "no thoughts" on Wizards' coaching stiuation
January 27
Washington Post
 
"Kevin McHale hired and fired both Flip Saunders and Randy Wittman in Minnesota. But now that Wittman has replaced Saunders in the latest Wizards' coaching shakeup, McHale was in no mood to reminisce about the time he shared with either man in Minnesota or discuss their current situations. "I'm not too worried about Washington," McHale, now coach of the Houston Rockets, said after a lengthy practice at Toyota Center on Thursday. "We'll play them tomorrow night and that'll be the last time I think about them till next year because we don't play them again. So, I don't think too much.""
Lowry misfires during loss to Bucks but hits on target with criticism of his performance
January 26
Houston Chronicle
 
"Kyle Lowry blamed himself. He has done that before. It's a pretty stand-up way to react to a poor game. But this was different. Lowry missed his first 13 shots on Wednesday, but this time, Lowry was not talking about his shot. "When they went on their runs, we put our heads down," Lowry said. "That's partly me. That's something I did as a leader. I take that loss on me. They made a shot, we put our heads down, walked the ball up, didn't play our game. It was a bad outing for myself. When I put my head down, my teammates follow me.""
Rockets pass on lottery picks options, extensions; will save money for summer.
January 25
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets have told each of their four lottery picks from the 2009 NBA Draft – Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams and Jordan Hill – they won't be picking up the fourth-year option on their rookie contracts, a person with knowledge of the talks said. The moves were not unexpected. Only Hill is playing. The Rockets, however, made the decision not as much because of the play of the four lottery picks, but to create room for a max contract should there be a free agent (Dwight Howard, Deron Williams lead the class), according to the person familiar with their thinking."
Former Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn glad to be out of Minnesota
January 24
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Former Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn does not have good memories about his final season in Minnesota. Flynn, traded to Houston on the night of the 2011 NBA draft, expressed disappointment about the criticism he received from Wolves fans last season and the ongoing speculation about Ricky Rubio joining the team. "I let that get to me too much," Flynn said before Monday night's game against the Timberwolves at Target Center. "Everybody was always talking about Ricky coming here. What I went through here taught me a lot about life." Flynn, who did not play Monday, was selected by the Wolves with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2009 draft. Rubio was taken with the No. 5 pick but chose to remain"
McHale chooses to leave the memories at the door
January 24
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Kevin McHale walked -- actually limped is the more accurate description -- back into Target Center on Monday morning, dressed in jeans, sneakers and a winter coat, fresh off a two-hour snowy commute from his home in North Oaks. McHale entered through the visitors tunnel, instead of the opposite end of the court, a path he took hundreds of times as Timberwolves executive and coach. Feel weird coming in that other door? "I've walked in that end a lot of times," he said. "No different." OK, what about the emotion of being back inside Target Center, his workplace for so many years, a building he's seen filled with emotion and life but also as dreary as a graveyard? "Ah, it's been three years,""
Feeling Minnesota, Minnesota? McHale booed, but not beaten, in homecoming
January 24
Houston Chronicle
 
"Kevin McHale might not have succeeded as general manager in Minnesota, but he was a neighbor, a local from Hibbing that made it big and made his home state proud. So when McHale made his return to Minneapolis – they booed like crazy. It was a weird way to treat a "Northwoods boy." The guy did trade a first-round pick for Marko Jaric and the Wolves have failed to make the playoffs for so long that the pick is no longer lottery protected. But he also did trade the rights to O.J. Mayo to get Kevin Love, who is not only a wonderful player about to get a max contract, the best hope of the franchise he left, but also some vindication. The bulk of those booing McHale thought he was an idiot for"
Kevin McHale returns to Target Center as Houston Rockets coach
January 23
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"McHale back, but on the other bench There will be a different version of Kevin McHale coaching the Houston Rockets tonight at Target Center. He doesn't have an interim tag in front of his name, and he didn't take over the job in midseason. That's one of the memories Timberwolves fans have of McHale, who twice left his front-office position as vice president of basketball operations to replace a struggling coach: Flip Saunders in 2005 and Randy Wittman in 2009. McHale, 54, who has had a fresh start since Rockets owner Leslie Alexander signed him to a four-year contract June 1, returns to the Twin Cities with a team on a six-game winning streak."
Reunion day arrives for Adelman, McHale
January 23
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Rick Adelman and Kevin McHale will meet their former teams in Monday's Timberwolves-Houston game for the first time since Adelman left the Rockets in April after four seasons as their coach and McHale departed in 2009 from the franchise he guided for 14 seasons. Both have had long, distinguished NBA careers, Adelman for 20 seasons as a head coach who has won 952 career games and McHale for nearly 30 years as a Hall of Fame player, front-office executive and coach. Rockets guard Chase Budinger has played for both in his young NBA career."
For Rockets' McHale, home is where next win is
January 23
Houston Chronicle
 
"For this particular road trip north toward home, Rockets coach Kevin McHale prefers to keep his eyes focused on the present, not the past. The Rockets' game Monday night at Minneapolis will be McHale's first return to Minnesota for a game since a 15-year stretch with the Timberwolves as an executive and, on two occasions, as coach, that ended with his dismissal in 2009. It also comes at a time the Rockets are enjoying a six-game winning streak but also are sufficiently dinged up that several players sat out a rare practice session Sunday afternoon."
Flynn says Houston's 'definitely better for me'
January 22
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Jonny Flynn's smiling, upbeat persona is one reason new Timberwolves boss David Kahn drafted him sixth overall in 2009 for a franchise Kahn deemed lacking both point guards and charisma. Seven months after the Wolves traded him to Houston, Flynn won't exactly call his two seasons with the team lost time for everyone involved, but ... "You always have to take the good from crazy situations," he said. "It was a tough situation coming in as a rookie. Just on draft day, you see just how that transpired. From the start, it was a weird situation." Kahn drafted a guy named Rubio fifth and Flynn sixth -- a pair of point guards, back to back, in a draft filled with promising point guards -- on that"
Rockets 105, Spurs 102: Rockets rally in fourth to notch sixth straight win
January 22
Houston Chronicle
 
"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."
Rockets rookie Marcus Morris bides time while hurt
January 22
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets rookie forward Marcus Morris is working out in Houston during his NBA Development League assignment since spraining his ankle in his fourth game with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He said he hopes to return to the Rockets when he is healthy, but general manager Daryl Morey said no decision will be made about Morris' return. "They haven't told me anything yet," Morris said. "Hopefully I'll stay here. I feel like I've done my part down there. They might still want me to play because I was out. "I'm getting better. Hopefully in a week or so I'll be 100 percent. Things like that happened. It was disappointing because I felt I was on a good streak. I was playing real well. Rebounding"
Dalembert provides what Rockets need
January 22
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jerome Solomon
"Barely 30 seconds into the game, Samuel Dalembert, who had bounced around in warmups with a bit more purpose than usual in sort of a mind-over-matter move, swatted a Kawhi Leonard shot over the heads of the patrons seated in the expensive courtside seats at Toyota Center. Yep, Dalembert had come to play. Or rather to work. His bulging left ankle, hurt when he landed awkwardly after a crucial put-back dunk late in an overtime victory over New Orleans on Thursday, gave him more than a legitimate excuse to sit this one out. But that's not Dalembert's nature. A mere ankle sprain wasn't going to keep him from punching in. His six blocked shots helped the Rockets punch out the San Antonio Spurs"
Dalembert's heroics could put him on the shelf
January 21
Houston Chronicle
 
"Samuel Dalembert's put-back overtime dunk Thursday propelled the Rockets to a 90-88 victory, but it also sent him to the training room and possibly a night on the inactive list. After being instrumental in the Rockets' five-game winning streak and climb to 8-7, Dalembert sat out Friday's practice with a sprained left ankle that will make his status for Saturday's contest with the Spurs a game-time decision. Dalembert, 30, turned the ankle on his dunk with 11 seconds left in overtime. Dalembert said Thursday he believed he would be able to play without missing a game, and Rockets coach Kevin McHale on Friday was not willing to concede he'd be without his center just when he was on a roll,"
Rockets rookie Parsons quickly makes a name for himself
January 21
Houston Chronicle
 
"Luis Scola had spent draft night at Toyota Center and got a brief scouting report on the players the Rockets selected. But as the months passed, he largely forgot what he had been told about Chandler Parsons, the third of the Rockets' three picks. "Usually you don't expect much from somebody taken late in the middle of the second round," Scola said. "Those guys maybe make the team, maybe doesn't. "But the people in the front office told me, 'This guy can play. We're really happy with him.' I said, 'Yeah, OK. Great.'??" The tone of his reaction was somewhat subdued, roughly the same as others who reacted to the Rockets' selection with the 38th pick that night last June. By the time the NBA"
Houston Rockets turn the page against New Orleans Hornets
January 20
New Orleans Times-Picayune
 
"Two rim-outs. That was the difference for the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday night between snapping a four-game losing streak by overcoming a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit, or flying home losers again, this time a gut-wrenching 90-88 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Hornets trailed by 14 points in the second half, but battled to the wire and beyond Thursday night, going on a late 9-0 fourth-quarter run that trimmed the Houston lead to one point with 2 ½ minutes to go in regulation. Jason Smith's potential winner at the fourth-quarter buzzer rimmed out, as did Marco Belinelli's jumper from the top of the key as the overtime expired."
Rockets beat Hornets 90-88 in overtime for fifth-consecutive win
January 20
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets invited the New Orleans Hornets to beat them. They dared them. They begged them. They did everything they could to give the Hornets a game they could not possibly lose. The Hornets lost it anyway. As if it were all a tease, tormenting a team that did not need the pain, the Rockets blew a 14-point lead, matched the worse offensive quarter in franchise history and fell behind by five in overtime. As if the forces of the team's streaks in opposite directions commanded it, the Rockets still managed one last run in the final two minutes of overtime to seize a 90-88 win Thursday night at Toyota Center. The win pushed the Rockets' winning streak to five games, matching their longest"
After offense collapses, matching Rockets' worst quarter ever, they know what they need
January 20
Houston Chronicle
 
"This is the other result of the lockout and the too-compressed, sometimes ridiculous schedule it left us. There will be games like Tuesday's, when the Rockets played on wobbly legs and moved as if pushing a medicine ball through mud. We had expected that, coming on the Rockets' fourth game in five days, sixth in eight days and ninth in 13 days. NBA basketball is not like baseball where you get to stand around in the outfield and chew sunflower seeds. Basketball was not made for that, or for schedules like this"
Dalembert uses his voice to raise Rockets' game
January 19
Houston Chronicle
 
"Samuel Dalembert always said this would happen. Before he signed with the Rockets, he said he would learn what their defense would need and he would bring it. When he worked his way through his own in-season training camp, he said he would patrol their paint and make it his own. Dalembert told his teammates they would be able to count on him to watch their backs. But they hear much more now. "I keep communicating," Dalembert said. "I keep telling them, 'Send him left, send him left.' They are loving it. And as you are playing defense, you keep communicating. 'Send him left. No. No. No. You're by yourself.' Things like that. When you are communicating, you make it easy for me. Then they get"
After 48 hours of smacking Wizards and Pistons around, Rockets could get used to playing NBA's Least
January 18
Houston Chronicle
 
"For all the times in April, it was impossible for the Rockets not to look over at the Eastern Conference standings and think of how different life would be if they were still in the NBA's lesser half, that feeling came early this season. The big advantage, of course, would be that all those winning teams that failed to make the playoffs – the Rockets have done it an NBA record five teams – would have advanced. The Rockets would not have had to even sneak in considering some of the teams that get in the postseason in the East these days. After consecutive days against the Wizards and Pistons, the real loss might be only getting to play them a couple times each season. The shame of Tuesday's"
Rockets' Courtney Lee returns after eight-game absence
January 18
Houston Chronicle
 
"Guard Courtney Lee was on the floor less than a minute before he got a deflection on the defensive end and knocked down a 3-pointer on the offensive end. He had missed eight games with a sprained right calf suffered Jan. 3 at Los Angeles, but he returned Tuesday showing little sign of the time off. Lee played 16 minutes, scoring six points and getting a pair of steals. He said he was surprised he felt as strong as he did. "My only expectation was to get in there and try to go as hard as I could," Lee said. "I thought I was going to be in there two to three minutes, go hard, come out. But when I was in there, I never got tired.""
Houston 97, Detroit 80: Rockets shut down Greg Monroe, Pistons
January 18
Detroit Free Press
 
"The Pistons have trouble winning under normal circumstances. But when their best player is held scoreless, their chances practically drop to nil. That was the case Tuesday night against the Rockets when center Greg Monroe didn't score until 10:24 left on his way to a season-low four points. The Pistons fell to 3-11 with a 97-80 loss at the Toyota Center."
Greg Monroe goes cold in Pistons loss
January 18
Detroit News
 
"Beating a hot team on the road hasn't been a Pistons hallmark in recent memory. Doing it without virtually any contribution from Greg Monroe makes it even a tougher task. Monroe went scoreless until the fourth quarter as the Pistons didn't have enough offense to catch up to the Rockets, 97-80 Tuesday night at the Toyota Center. Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 20 points, his second straight 20-point outing."
Rockets fend off lowly Wizards for 114-106 win
January 17
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets did not come to Washington just to see the sights and beat the Wizards, though the sights were outstanding. They wanted to whip the Wizards and do it quickly enough to get some rest. It might say something about how the Rockets have improved that they could be less than satisfied with Monday's 114-106 smackdown of the 1-12 Wizards. They led by as much as 19, but the Wizards cut the lead to five, making Rockets starters, and especially a surging Kevin Martin, put in a full day's work. They just never had too much concern they could lose to the NBA's worst team. "They had a chance," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "They made a little run at us. I was mildly concerned at that"
Wizards vs. Rockets: John Wall scores career-high 38 points, JaVale McGee benched in 114-106 loss
January 17
Washington Post
 
"His coach was furious. Most of his teammates weren't very amused. Nick Young praised him for having the bravery to even consider attempting such a play during a game. But JaVale McGee didn't have any qualms about a third-quarter dunk during the Washington Wizards' 114-106 loss to the Houston Rockets that revealed his incredible athletic gifts and also presented one of the many reasons why his team has been the most dysfunctional in the NBA this season. With the Wizards trailing by six points, Trevor Booker dived to save a loose ball to John Wall, who threw it ahead to McGee, all alone on the break. As he approached the foul line, McGee tossed an alley-oop pass off the glass to himself,"
Martin's signature move requires a rewrite
January 16
Houston Chronicle
 
"With the lockout finally over and the Rockets about to play their first preseason game, guard Kevin Martin called the night's officials over to ask about a change that had nothing to do with collective bargaining or luxury-tax penalties. He had been told the rules had been tweaked in ways that would impact his specialty, drawing shooting fouls. The "rip-through," in which players swipe their arms laterally through the extended arm of a defender and into a shot, would no longer be eligible for a shooting foul. Shot fakes that prompt defenders to leave their feet and land on an opponent would not send him to the line unless he had begun his shooting motion."
Rockets get an early start on the Houston Marathon. That can't last, and won't.
January 15
Houston Chronicle
 
"Kevin McHale said before the game even began that he really did not want to keep playing Kyle Lowry 41 minutes. He didn't. He played him 49. McHale gambled that with a few extra minutes with Lowry and Kevin Martin on the floor to start the fourth quarter he could put the lead out to a safe 14. It did not work out that way. The game got tight and McHale did not dare sit Lowry again. He stuck with Martin, too. They played a combined 180 minutes in two days. Still, if you go back to his pregame plan, one can assume he is aware that Lowry's workload can't continue to top 40 minutes in the lockout-compressed schedule."
Rockets 107, Trail Blazers 105 (OT): Martin, Lowry step up in closing minutes
January 15
Houston Chronicle
 
"Having found one combination that worked, Rockets coach Kevin McHale was not about to try to find another. He stuck with his backcourt until it dropped, then stuck with it some more. But if Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry were going to give him 90 minutes each in two days, they made it worth their while. Lowry carried the Rockets early and nailed the 3-pointer that helped them get to overtime. Once in the extra session, Martin scored the final six Rockets points as the Rockets outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers 107-105 on Saturday night at Toyota Center. Lowry went from hitting 11 of 13 to missing 11 of 13, but he finished with 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Martin had 28"
Dalembert's big performance against former team leads to big win
January 14
Houston Chronicle
 
"If Kings center DeMarcus Cousins' issue is actually the absence of a poker face, leading him to show every emotion as it comes to him, his mistake was not learning from Samuel Dalembert when he had the chance. The Rockets' veteran center has been known to dramatically show his feelings openly, too, but when asked about playing his former team, he insisted it was just another game. It wasn't. Dalembert dominated Cousins from the outset, to the point that the Kings prodigy was benched for the entire fourth quarter while the center he supplanted had his best game with the Rockets, taking them to a 103-89 win Friday at Toyota Center. "I've been teasing him the past couple days, texting him"