Nuggets-Rockets Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 01 2012 1:51PM

The Houston Rockets were one of the NBA's more consistent offensive teams before the All-Star break, but they've been flat since returning.

A visit from the Denver Nuggets, the league's worst defensive team on the road, could help them get back on track.

The Rockets go for their fifth straight home win when they face the Nuggets on Friday night.

Houston's four-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday as it lost 104-83 to Utah. The Rockets (21-15) shot 39.0 percent, went 6 of 23 from 3-point range and were outrebounded 50-34 as they watched an eight-point lead in the second quarter turn into a Jazz rout.

"We cannot just in the third quarter decide that we're not going to win the game and just let them do whatever they want," said forward Luis Scola, who scored a team-high 18 points. "We've got to fight our way to the end and if we lose, we lose."

Leading scorer Kevin Martin was held to six points - nearly 12 below his season average - while going scoreless in the second half. He missed all four field-goal attempts after halftime to finish 2 of 10.

It was the second straight game Martin and the Rockets struggled offensively. While they defeated Toronto 88-85 on Tuesday, they shot 38.7 percent. Martin scored 14 points but went 3 of 15 from the field and 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Houston went into the break eighth in the NBA with 97.5 points per game and ninth at 45.2 percent from the field. The Rockets were held to fewer than 90 points only three times before the break.

Houston could have an easier time against Denver, which has had little success stopping teams away from home. The Nuggets have lost four straight road games, giving up an average of 108.0 points over that span to raise their average to 103.6 allowed on the road - worst in the NBA.

Denver defeated Portland 104-95 on Wednesday, the first time in seven games it held an opponent to fewer than 100 points. The Nuggets are giving up 101.1 points a game overall, near the bottom of the league.

Denver received a boost from the return of point guard Ty Lawson, who missed two games with a sprained left ankle. He scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help hold off a late rally by the Trail Blazers, also finishing with nine assists.

The Nuggets hope for a similar lift from the impending returns of three others from injuries. Reserve Rudy Fernandez, averaging 9.3 points, is optimistic about returning Friday from a strained lower back, while forwards Danilo Gallinari and Nene are expected back shortly as well.

Gallinari, averaging a team-high 17.0 points, hasn't played since a 99-90 loss to Houston on Feb. 6.

Despite their recent slide and the injuries, the Nuggets are very much in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

"We're still hanging in with teams like Oklahoma City, the Clippers, all the top teams and we have three starters hurt," Lawson said. "Once we get them back, we're going to be a team everybody's scared of."

Denver, however, has lost six of eight away from home. It's dropped three in a row overall to Houston.

Lawson, Afflalo lead Nuggets past Rockets

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Mar 03 2012 12:22AM

HOUSTON (AP) Denver coach George Karl was so pleased with Ty Lawson on Friday night that he actually talked about his point guard committing more turnovers.

Lawson had 22 points and a career-high 15 assists to lead the Nuggets to a 117-105 victory over the Houston Rockets. He only had one turnover, but Karl said more miscues would indicate that Lawson was taking more chances.

"Sometimes, when you get 15 or 20 assists, having three or four turnovers is OK," Karl said. "It's great when he doesn't (commit them). But we're actually talking to him about being less conservative and more aggressive."

Arron Afflalo scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half and Kenneth Faried added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who shook off a dismal shooting start and ended up with seven players scoring in double figures.

"People were open, and I just gave them the shot, or gave them the good pass," said Lawson, who is in his third year in the NBA.

Lawson said he made riskier passes more often as a prep star at Oak Hill Academy, and he averaged 9.1 assists per game in his senior season. In three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged only 5.8 assists per game.

"In high school, I was so aggressive," he said. "It's a mode I've got to get back into, which I feel like I'm doing. At UNC, we had so many great players, I had to manage it and make sure everybody was happy. I was more of a manager."

The Rockets, meanwhile, were lamenting all the easy baskets they gave up in the second half. Denver shot 59 percent (27 of 46) and scored 66 points after halftime.

Kevin Martin scored a season-high 35 points, but the Rockets were outrebounded 49-35 and gave up a season-high 33 second-chance points to lose for just the third time in eight games. Denver had 19 offensive rebounds.

"They played harder and they just wanted that game," point guard Kyle Lowry said. "We didn't come out with that type of effort to match their intensity."

Corey Brewer scored 15, Al Harrington had 13 and Kosta Koufos 10 for the Nuggets, who won for the third time in eight games. Karl was not only encouraged by the balanced scoring, but also thought his team tired out the Rockets as the game went on.

"For the first time in a while, I saw us wearing a team down a little bit, the constant attacking, the constant penetration, the constant pounding," Karl said. "It was more of a Nugget win. I haven't seen that in about a month."

Lawson had only five assists in the first half, and Denver shot 32 percent (16 for 50) and trailed 54-51 at the break.

"Some games are going to be like that," Lawson said. "Some games you come out hot."

Afflalo opened the third quarter with two long jumpers, kickstarting a 15-5 spurt. Martin scored 20 points in the first half, and kept Houston close in the third with three 3-pointers. His last 3 of the period sent him over 30 points for the fourth time this season, and put Houston up 78-76.

Afflalo flipped in a hook shot, and the Nuggets built an 82-78 lead heading to the fourth.

Denver continued to shoot well in the final quarter, helping it hold on to a slim lead. Lawson hit a floater in the lane, then added a free throw with 4:22 left to put Denver up 100-94.

Lawson and Miller then scored on drives, and Harrington sank a 3-pointer from the corner to give Denver its biggest lead to that point, at 107-97.

The Rockets were outscored 52-36 in the paint and generated only seven fast-break points.

NOTES: The Rockets have been outrebounded in nine consecutive games. ... Houston F Luis Scola briefly left the game in the first quarter after a collision with Afflalo. He took five stitches in his lower lip and returned about seven minutes later. ... Houston F Patrick Patterson fell hard on his back trying to block Harrington's drive midway through the final quarter, and stayed face down on the court for several minutes as Houston's training staff surrounded him. He eventually left the floor on his own power. ... Denver C Timofey Mozgov stepped into a cameraman on an inbound play, sprained his left ankle and left with 5:26 left in the third quarter. Denver was already playing without Nene (left calf strain), Rudy Fernandez (lower back strain) and Danilo Gallinari (left ankle sprain). Karl had "a good feeling" that Fernandez would play in San Antonio on Sunday. Karl said Nene and Gallinari would be re-evaluated during Saturday's scheduled practice.

Notebook: Nuggets 117, Rockets 105

Posted Saturday March 3, 2012 12:42AM

By Matt Miller, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: With key players still sidelined due to lingering injuries, the Denver Nuggets are using hustle and toughness to work their way back up the Western Conference standings.

Ty Lawson scored a team-high 22 points and dished out a career-high 15 assists, and rookie Kenneth Faried added a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds (six offensive) as the Nuggets snapped a four-game road losing streak with a 117-105 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday at Toyota Center.

Kevin Martin led the Rockets with a season-best 35 points, but he was limited to only three points in the fourth quarter. Kyle Lowry pitched in 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Houston (21-16), which has lost two games in a row.

Denver (20-17), which improved to 2-0 since the All-Star break, crushed Houston on the boards (49-35), in the paint (52-36), in steals (9-1) and on the fast break (19-7) while committing only six turnovers.

QUOTABLE: "I thought, for the first time in a while, I saw us wearing down a team a little bit with the constant attacking, the constant penetration, the constant pounding [the glass]. I thought it was more of a Nugget win tonight, and I haven't seen that same win probably in about a month."
-- Denver coach George Karl

THE STAT: The Nuggets overcame 44.3 percent shooting from the field by snatching offensive rebounds and pouring in second-chance points. Denver finished the game with a 19-10 advantage on the offensive glass and a 33-17 edge in second-chance points. The Nuggets have pulled down at least 19 offensive boards in back-to-back games.

TURNING POINT: The Rockets trailed 93-90 and appeared to have a chance to trim that deficit further after Faried misfired on a pair of free throws. But the rookie followed his second miss and converted a key tip-in to push the Nuggets' advantage to 95-90. Houston's deficit never dipped below three points after that play, which epitomized how much Denver out-worked Houston for offensive boards and second-shot opportunities.

QUOTABLE II: "They threw it up there, and then they threw us out of the lane and got it [the ball]. ... We've had two games in a row where they've [the opponent] out-toughed us."
-- Rockets coach Kevin McHale on his team's rebounding woes

HOT: Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo used a terrific second-half performance to turn a rough first-half effort (one point on 0-for-2 shooting, 0 rebounds, 0 assists) into a distant memory. After halftime, the Denver shooting guard netted 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting to go with three boards and two assists to help ignite the Nuggets' 66-point half.

NOT: Houston relies on reserve guard Courtney Lee for tough defense and instant offense off the bench, but he has been unable to find his shooting touch lately. Lee has averaged just 6.6 points on 28.1 percent (9-for-32) shooting overall, including 22.2 percent (4-for-18) shooting from 3-point range, and 0.8 assists over his last five games.

GOOD MOVE: Lawson's jumper and runner were not falling early in the game, but he showed no signs of frustration. Instead, Denver's crafty point guard concentrated on distributing the ball effectively with pinpoint passes and made intelligent decisions. Thanks mostly to Lawson's ball-handling and attention to detail, the Nuggets committed only six turnovers.

QUOTABLE III: "People were open, and I just gave them the shot with a good pass. I try to take care of the ball most of the time, but today I was on. ... Our team is working pretty well when we spread the ball around and attack, and I'm trying to be more aggressive and be a catalyst like coach [Karl] wants."
-- Lawson

BAD MOVE: Denver, which entered Friday shooting about 33 percent from 3-point range as a team, may have felt too confident about settling for the outside shot after making four of its first six attempts from beyond the arc. The Nuggets continued to fire away from the perimeter, even when they did not have a great look at the basket, and missed 12 of their next 16 3-point attempts (25.0 percent) to finish the game 8-for-22 from long distance.

NOTABLE: Karl said reserve guard Rudy Fernandez (back stiffness) will return to the rotation in Sunday's game at San Antonio. ... Karl said he would have to wait until the Nuggets' practice Saturday to determine when starters Nene (strained left calf) and Danilo Gallinari (sprained left ankle) can return to the lineup. ... Rockets forward Luis Scola retreated to the locker room less than two minutes into the game after taking an inadvertent Afflalo elbow to the face. Scola received five stitches in his lower lip and returned with more than three minutes remaining in the first quarter. ... The officials were not afraid to blow their whistles in the opening period as the teams shot a combined 29 free throws. ... The Nuggets bench outscored Houston's reserves 42-22. ... At least seven Denver players have scored in double figures in each of the Nuggets' last two games. ... Denver improved to 15-4 when it outrebounds its opponent. ... The Nuggets' 97 field-goal attempts set an opponent season high for the Rockets. ... Houston fell to 3-13 when allowing at least 100 points. ... Rockets forward Patrick Patterson grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds and match his career high with four blocks.

UP NEXT: For the Nuggets, Sunday @ San Antonio (ESPN), Monday vs. Sacramento, Wednesday vs. Cleveland. For the Rockets, Sunday vs. L.A. Clippers, Tuesday @ Boston, Wednesday @ Toronto.

• Nuggets: Fernandez
• Rockets: Hill, Thabeet

• Nuggets: Brewer
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 11
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #20 Leroy Richardson, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 16879
• Duration: 2:27