Knicks-Rockets Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Jan 28 2012 1:13AM

The Houston Rockets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, and Kevin Martin's absence hasn't cooled them.

The New York Knicks are slumping, and playing without Carmelo Anthony only makes matters worse.

With Martin's status clouded, the Rockets attempt to take advantage of Anthony's absence and win for the ninth time in 10 games when they host the struggling Knicks on Saturday night.

Houston (11-8) is averaging 102.8 points during an 8-1 run, making a 3-7 start to the season an increasingly distant memory. Martin missed Friday's home game against Washington due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, but the Rockets didn't miss a beat and routed the Wizards 103-76.

Houston's top scorer at 20.1 points per game, Martin is averaging 29.3 over his last four games overall, and 28.1 the last seven times he's faced the Knicks (7-12).

If Martin is unable to return, Chase Budinger would likely increased playing time again. Budinger took advantage of the opportunity Friday, scoring a season-high 21 points and adding eight rebounds while sinking 4 of 6 3-pointers after not having appeared in the three previous games.

"You just have to be professional," Budinger said, "and just be ready and wait for the opportunity like I did. I like to play, I like to be out there on the court with my teammates. It really just comes down to what the coach wants."

As coach Kevin McHale has been trying to tighten Houston's rotation, Budinger was an odd man out after averaging 7.1 points through the first 15 games.

"I told him that in our league, a lot of times, things just happen," McHale said. "He stayed ready and he's a professional man."

Luis Scola, averaging 15.6 points, also saw an increase in production without Martin available, getting 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists against the Wizards.

McHale may not feel the need to rush Martin back, given that the Rockets have won 12 of their last 13 against the Knicks. That includes a six-game home winning streak, during which Houston has held New York to an average of 88.2 points.

Losers of eight of nine overall, the Knicks now must also take the court without Anthony - their leading scorer at 23.6 points per game - who will miss a second straight contest with ankle, thumb and wrist injuries.

The Knicks are trying to salvage a split of a four-game road trip after falling 99-89 at Miami on Friday. They tried to compensate for Anthony's absence by taking more shots from beyond the arc, going 18 for 43 - the second-most 3-point attempts in franchise history.

"We shot a lot of 3's, but we did hit a bunch of them, which kept us in there," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We just couldn't sustain it all the way through."

Similar to Budinger's situation with Houston, Bill Walker may get a second chance to capitalize on the absence of a star.

Walker played a season high of more than 31 minutes Friday, scoring a season-high 21 points - all on a 7-for-10 effort from 3-point range - and adding seven rebounds. He's averaging just 6.1 points on the season, and had just three while missing 5 of 6 from the floor in his only start, a 104-92 loss at Oklahoma City on Jan. 14.

Amar'e Stoudemire had 25 points in each of last season's two meetings with the Rockets, which both ended in New York defeats. He's averaging 28.2 points over his last six games against Houston.

Budinger, Dalembert lead Rockets past Knicks 97-84

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Jan 29 2012 1:10AM

HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Rockets thought their depth would be one of their strengths before the season began.

The reserves are now playing well enough to give the starters valuable rest during the lockout-compressed season.

Chase Budinger scored 19 points, Samuel Dalembert grabbed 14 rebounds and the Rockets beat the New York Knicks 97-84 on Saturday night for their ninth win in 10 games.

Backup forward Jordan Hill had 14 points and 11 rebounds, reserve guard Courtney Lee scored 14 points in place of the injured Kevin Martin, and the Rockets shot 49 percent (38 of 77) to improve to 9-2 at home this season.

Houston's reserves scored a season-high 61 points, a night after scoring a season-high 52 in a 103-76 victory over Washington.

"You need to play more guys, just because how short the season is, how quick games are coming up," said Budinger, who came off the bench to score 21 in Friday night's rout of Washington. "There are going to be nights where one player doesn't play well, so someone else has to step up. I think our team is doing a good job."

Martin sat out again with inflammation in his right heel, and starting point guard Kyle Lowry had an off night, going 1 for 6 from the floor.

Houston coach Kevin McHale turned to backup point guard Goran Dragic, who scored 16 points and delivered five assists in 27 minutes, though he also had six turnovers.

The longer the Rockets keep winning with their reserves, the better they think they'll be later in the season, because their starters won't be worn down.

"We can win more games, we can rotate more guys and be more fresh in the future," Dragic said.

The Knicks, meanwhile, are desperately looking for solutions after losing for the ninth time in 10 games.

Houston blew open a close game in the third quarter as the Knicks' offense sputtered again without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony.

Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Tyson Chandler added 14 for the Knicks. New York went 5 for 26 from 3-point range a night after shooting an NBA season-high 43 times from beyond the arc in a loss to Miami.

"I think about this stretch right here," Stoudemire said, "it's something that you don't want to get used to."

New York failed to reach 90 points for the fifth time in seven games. The Knicks were playing their fourth game in five nights, but Stoudemire wasn't using fatigue as an excuse.

"There are a lot of teams right now playing the same type of schedule," he said, "and finding ways to win."

The Knicks were heaving up 3s from the start Saturday night, but missed their first three attempts. They led early, though, because the Rockets gave away five turnovers in the first nine minutes.

New York went 1 for 9 from 3-point range in the opening quarter and still led 21-20. Dragic started the second quarter with Houston's first 3-pointer to put the Rockets in front.

Budinger had 11 points in the second quarter, helping Houston build a 53-46 lead at the break. Dalembert's free throw with 6:47 left in the third quarter put Houston ahead 62-52, marking its 13th consecutive game with a double-digit lead.

The Knicks pulled to within six before Houston finished the third quarter with a 12-2 burst fueled by four New York turnovers. Lee sank a 3-pointer, then hit a free throw after a technical foul on Tyson Chandler and the Rockets led 76-60 going into the fourth.

"We have to figure out a way to comprehend and learn from our mistakes," Stoudemire said. "Right now, we're not doing that."

New York coach Mike D'Antoni had Stoudemire on the floor with mostly backups early in the final quarter, and the Rockets safely preserved their lead with a lineup of mostly backups of their own.

Stoudemire was out for the final four minutes, falling two rebounds short of his fourth double-double in five games.

"Amare was really the only scorer we had on the floor," D'Antoni said. "When he gets tired and comes off, we just can't get quality shots."

Notes: The Rockets have won 20 straight games when holding their opponents below 90 points. ... The Rockets continued their longest run of games with a double-digit lead since 2008, when they held double-digit advantages in 20 straight games during a 22-game winning streak. ... Dalembert blocked four shots. He has at least two blocks in six straight games, Houston's longest streak since Yao Ming had multiple blocks in eight consecutive games in March 2009. ... The Knicks are 1-7 against the West. ... New York fell shy of 90 points for the third straight game.

Notebook: Rockets 97, Knicks 84

By Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday January 28, 2012 11:46PM

THE FACTS: For the New York Knicks, life without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony has been expectedly rough.

For the Houston Rockets, life without leading scorer Kevin Martin could not get much better.

Reserve forward Chase Budinger scored 19 points, handed out three assists and grabbed two rebounds, and backup point guard Goran Dragic added 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting and five assists as the Martin-less Rockets pulled away from the Carmelo-less Knicks in the second half to claim a 97-84 victory on Saturday at Toyota Center. Backup center Jordan Hill added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds for Houston (12-8), which has won nine of its last 10 games -- 2-0 without Martin -- to move into a tie for first place in the Southwest Division.

New York forward Amar'e Stoudemire led all scorers with 23 points to go with eight boards, three steals and two blocks. Tyson Chandler chipped in with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. But the solid performance of New York's frontcourt duo was not nearly enough to save the Knicks (7-13) from losing for the ninth time in their last 10 games, as the rest of the team shot an abysmal 30.6 percent (19-for-62) from the field.

QUOTABLE: "We got good depth. If we can get stops and get out and run and put those guys in position to just play, [the backups] make tremendous plays. ... I'm hoping that we can get that nice mix of guys where we don't have heavy, heavy numbers of minutes [for our starters]."
-- Houston coach Kevin McHale on his bench.

THE STAT: The Rockets' reserves continued their red-hot performance of late, outscoring New York's bench 61-35. Houston's backups combined to shoot 22-for-36 (61.1 percent) from the field to go with 18 rebounds and 10 assists. The Knicks' reserves, meanwhile, finished 14-for-38 (36.8 percent) overall to go with 10 boards and eight assists. The Rockets' bench has averaged 40.2 points over the last five games, pouring in at least 36 points in four of these contests.

TURNING POINT: The Knicks were fighting through a rough shooting night thanks to domination on the offensive glass and second chances and trailed Houston 64-58 with three minutes left in the third quarter. But the Rockets cranked up the defensive intensity and closed the third period on a 12-2 run, limiting New York to only one basket in its last nine possessions. The Knicks saw a heated contest get away from them as they committed four turnovers and received a technical foul during Houston's spurt.

BAD MOVE: Chandler allowed his emotions to overwhelm him during a crucial stretch of the third quarter after the refs did not blow their whistles when he drew contact from Houston's big men on three separate occasions. Although Chandler had good reason to complain, it would have been wise to cool his temper before it escalated into a technical foul at the end of the period that accomplished nothing other than contributing another point to the Rockets' game-changing run.

QUOTABLE II: "There were a couple of blown assignments on defense, but for the most part, I was just frustrated. It's tough losing to teams you're supposed to beat. ... Emotions got the best of me. I don't know what to say. I'm as baffled as you are."
-- Chandler on his technical and the Knicks' slump.

HOT: Budinger has been the biggest beneficiary of Martin's absence in the last two games, averaging 20.0 points on 15-for-26 (57.7 percent) shooting, including 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range, 5.0 rebounds and only 1.0 turnover.

QUOTABLE III: "Getting used to each other out there on the court during games is what's making us better. We're starting to get our chemistry down with one another, and that's why [our bench] is playing better and better."
-- Budinger on the strong stretch of performances by Houston's reserves.

NOT: Knicks guard Toney Douglas has struggled mightily with his shot since returning to the starting five in the last two games. After his 3-for-13 performance Saturday, Douglas has connected on only nine of 31 field-goal attempts (29.0 percent) since rejoining the starting lineup.

GOOD MOVE: Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni shifted rookie Iman Shumpert to a reserve role Saturday so he could spend more of his time on the court playing the shooting guard and small forward positions, rather than carrying the burden of being the starting point guard. The move paid off, with Shumpert playing an active game without the ball in his hands and displaying smarter shot selection. Shumpert finished with 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.

NOTABLE: D'Antoni provided no significant updates on Anthony's status. Anthony is still on track to return as soon as Tuesday. ... McHale said "we'll cross that bridge when we get there" in regard to Martin's status for Monday's game against Minnesota. ... Houston shot a season-high 56.4 percent (22-for-39) in the first half. ... The Rockets have won 13 of their last 14 games against New York, including seven in a row at Toyota Center. ... Houston has swept each of its last three back-to-back sets. ... The Rockets improved to 8-0 when limiting their opponent to less than 90 points. ... Houston is now 12-0 when leading after three quarters ... The Rockets' 61 bench points set a season high. ... Houston netted a season-best 33 points in the second period. ... The Knicks dropped to 1-7 this season against the Western Conference. ... New York fell to 1-5 on the second night of back-to-back sets.

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Tuesday vs. Detroit, Thursday vs. Chicago (TNT), Friday @ Boston (ESPN). For the Rockets, Monday vs. Minnesota, Wednesday @ San Antonio, Friday vs. Phoenix.

• Knicks: Anthony, Davis, Harrellson
• Rockets: Martin, Morris

• Knicks: Chandler
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #29 Mark Lindsay, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 18051
• Duration: 1:58