Hornets-Rockets Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Nov 13 2012 4:50PM

Anthony Davis has appeared in only three NBA games, but he's already shown that he won't be easily intimidated.

Given his response to a little skirmish in New Orleans' last contest, the Houston Rockets may want to avoid getting him angry.

Davis looks to build on his first double-double and help the Hornets to their fourth win in five games when they visit the Rockets on Wednesday night.

After missing two contests with a concussion, Davis returned to the court for New Orleans (3-2) against Charlotte on Friday. He had five points late in the second quarter before a brief tussle with Bobcats big man Byron Mullens seemed to light a fire under the rookie.

Davis posted up Mullens and scored on New Orleans' next possession, and went on to finish with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in a 107-99 victory.

"He's got a bit of an edge about him," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "He's a nice kid. He's the kind of kid you dream of coaching and yet you are not going to push him around."

The way Davis stood up to Mullens earned him respect from his coach and teammates, though fellow Hornets rookie Darius Miller wasn't surprised.

"He plays a lot more aggressive, and with a lot more intensity when he gets angry," said Miller, Davis' former teammate at Kentucky. "So he got kind of mad, a little heated over the situation, and he pretty much dominated the game from then on out. So I've seen him do it before at Kentucky - many times."

Houston big men Omer Asik and Chandler Parsons may not get Davis too angry, but the two solid defenders could present challenges for the No. 1 overall pick. Both players are also coming off career-high scoring outputs, with Parsons finishing with 25 points and Asik adding 19 in a 113-110 loss to Miami on Monday.

The Rockets (3-4), losers of four of five, led by four with 1:20 left and had a chance to take the lead with 10 seconds to play but Jeremy Lin airballed a 3-point attempt.

"Obviously, it's my responsibility to hit that shot," Lin said. "It was a good shot for me, a quality shot and it didn't go in for me, unfortunately, in a crucial play of the game."

Lin hasn't been hitting many of his shots lately, making 36.2 percent and averaging 10.0 points in the last five games.

James Harden is also having a hard time finding his stroke after his sensational start, shooting 33.0 percent from the field and 17.2 percent (5 of 29) from beyond the arc in his last five.

It could be difficult for Harden and company to get on track against a Hornets team that has been tough defensively, allowing an average of 88.6 points and 27.8 percent shooting on 3-pointers.

Ryan Anderson finally found his touch from long range Friday, going 5 for 10 from beyond the arc and finishing with a season-best 25 points. The 6-foot-10 forward, who led the league with 166 3-pointers last season with Orlando, was 8 for 27 (29.6 percent) on 3s in his first four games with the Hornets.

New Orleans lost two of three to the Rockets last season, dropping both meetings in Houston.

The Hornets didn't earn their fourth win of 2011-12 until their 19th game.

New Orleans traded forward Hakim Warrick to Charlotte for guard Matt Carroll on Tuesday. Carroll has played in one game this season.

Harden scores 30, Rockets beat Hornets 100-96

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Nov 15 2012 12:00AM

HOUSTON (AP) James Harden is getting used to his role as the go-to guy in Houston.

Harden scored 30 points, Omer Asik added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and the Rockets held off the New Orleans Hornets 100-96 on Wednesday night.

Greivis Vasquez scored a career-high 24 for the Hornets, despite hurting his left ankle in the third quarter and briefly leaving the game. Anthony Davis had only eight points on 2-for-7 shooting.

Harden went 10 for 20 from the field but only 1 of 7 from 3-point range in his third 30-point game since joining the Rockets in a blockbuster trade with Oklahoma City on Oct. 27.

"It's taken seven games for me to just be the man, and know what to expect and know how to handle every situation," Harden said. "There are going to be games where, I don't know. There are going to be a lot of experiences that I learn from, so I'm just taking it one game at a time."

The Rockets outscored New Orleans 39-18 in the second quarter to build a big lead, but the Hornets played better defense in the second half to close the gap. Houston shot 58 percent (14 of 24) from the field and hit six 3-pointers in the second period.

"When you have a quarter like that, it's hard to rebound," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "But I thought the guys on our team showed a lot of guts and character, getting back in the game."

The Hornets couldn't quite come all the way back. Chandler Parsons sank a pivotal 3-pointer and fadeaway jumper late to help Houston win for the second time in five home games. The Rockets also built big leads in the first two games of the season, against Detroit and Atlanta, and had to fend off late rallies to win in much the same way.

"We can't keep getting these double-digit leads in the first half and give them away," Parsons said. "We've got to come out there in the third quarter with energy and not allow that."

The Rockets took the floor while first-round draft pick Royce White remained absent from the team. The 6-foot-8 White called the team "inconsistent" in its efforts to help him cope with his anxiety disorder and fear of flying, and he sent out a series of often critical tweets throughout the day.

The team has said nothing publicly beyond a statement that said White was "unavailable" and that it would support him going forward.

After a slow start, the Rockets hardly seemed distracted.

Reserves Marcus Morris and Toney Douglas both hit a pair of 3s early in the second quarter as the Rockets surged to a 47-38 lead. Houston started 7 for 10 from the field overall in the quarter. Morris stayed on the floor when the starters returned, and scored on consecutive drives to stretch the lead to 52-40.

Harden, the NBA's reigning Sixth Man of the Year, liked what he saw from the Houston bench.

"They lifted us up," Harden said. "Toney and Carlos (Delfino) and Marcus Morris really did a good job, coming in and bringing that energy."

New Orleans defended the perimeter better in the third quarter and trimmed the deficit to six. Vasquez, fourth in the NBA in assists coming into the game, twisted his left ankle on a drive late in the third quarter. He came out of the game and limped to the locker room.

Houston led 85-76 after three, then gave away four turnovers in the first 4 minutes of the final quarter. Vasquez returned and guarded Harden, who swished a jumper from the top of the key for a 95-88 lead with just over 4 minutes to go.

The 6-foot-9 Al-Farouq Aminu switched to guard Harden after that, and Harden passed to Parsons for a 3-pointer with 3:27 remaining.

Vasquez then sank a pair of 3s to fuel a quick 8-0 Hornets run that cut the gap to 98-96 with less than 2 minutes to play. Parsons just beat the shot clock with an awkward fadeaway jumper to put Houston up by four.

Aminu and Vasquez missed 3-pointers in the final 5 seconds, and Houston held on.

Notes: Houston coach Kevin McHale missed his third straight game since taking an indefinite leave to address a family matter in Minnesota. Assistant coach Kelvin Sampson said the team still has no timetable for McHale's return. ... Former Rockets center Ralph Sampson was honored at midcourt during a timeout in the second quarter. Sampson, the top overall pick in the 1983 draft who guided Houston to the 1986 NBA Finals, was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in September. ... The Rockets' 39 second-quarter points and 64 first-half points were season highs.

Notebook: Rockets 100, Hornets 96

Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:47 PM - Updated Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:58 AM

THE FACTS: James Harden drove to the basket at will. Marcus Morris played stingy defense and swatted shots. Toney Douglas and Chandler Parsons drained pivotal jumpers. Omer Asik did the dirty work inside. On Jeremy Lin bobblehead night in Houston, the rest of the Rockets stole the spotlight.

Harden scored 30 points on 10-for-20 shooting, and Asik poured in 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Rockets smacked the New Orleans Hornets in the second quarter before holding off a furious second-half rally to claim a 100-96 victory Wednesday at Toyota Center. Reserves Morris (13 points, career-best three blocks) and Douglas (12 points, 4-for-5 from 3-point range) combined to score 25 points for Houston (4-4), which has won two of its last three games.

Greivis Vasquez poured in a career-high 24 points, and Ryan Anderson finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead New Orleans (3-3), which whittled a 21-point third-quarter deficit to two with less than two minutes remaining before ultimately falling short.

QUOTABLE: "[Holding onto leads] is just an area we have to grow in. ... When things start getting tight, we tend to get into our own phone booths instead of trusting each other." -- Rockets stand-in coach Kelvin Sampson on his team's inexperience, which allowed the Hornets to turn a rout into a tight contest.

THE STAT: Houston has connected on at least 10 3-point attempts in back-to-back games and is shooting 34.5 percent (40-for-116) from behind the arc over its last four games. The Rockets were especially accurate from long distance in the first half Wednesday, when they sank seven of 16 attempts.

TURNING POINT: After a sluggish start on both ends of the court, the Rockets got their offense rolling by cranking up the defensive intensity during the second quarter. In addition to receiving big contributions from its backups, Houston limited the Hornets to 4-for-17 shooting and scored 12 points off five New Orleans turnovers in the period. This, combined with Harden's ability to slice through the Hornets' defense for several layups, allowed the Rockets to bust the game open as they outscored New Orleans 39-18 in the second. The Hornets put together a valiant effort in the second half to get back into the game, but Houston's dominant second period proved to be the difference.

QUOTABLE II: "We're out there playing like we're the [Harlem] Globetrotters or something in the second quarter. [Houston] was trying to kick our butt, and we have to have a mindset of playing a tough, nasty style of basketball. I just didn't see that in the second quarter." -- Hornets coach Monty Williams on the cause of his squad's second-period collapse.

HOT: Vasquez was aggressive from tipoff, finishing with a career-best 24 points on 8-for-15 shooting to go with nine assists and five boards. The 6-foot-6 point guard has handed out an average of 8.0 assists over his last five games.

NOT: Lin needed his teammates to pick up the slack on his bobblehead night, as the third-year point guard had trouble maintaining his defensive position against Vasquez. Lin's recent shooting slump continued, as well. Including Wednesday's 2-for-10 effort, Lin has connected on only 28.0 percent (7-for-25) of his shots over the last three games.

GOOD MOVE: The Hornets had more success in limiting Harden's opportunities at the basket after halftime by swarming him with defenders when he attempted to penetrate into the paint. The adjustments translated to the scoreboard, with Harden netting only four points in the third period.

BAD MOVE: Houston controlled the boards in the second quarter, one of several reasons why it was able to build a 21-point lead. But the young Rockets became increasingly complacent and timid until their lead had nearly disappeared. Although Houston stopped the bleeding midway through the final period and pulled out the win, it should have landed the knockout blow when the gritty Hornets were reeling.

NOTABLE: Vasquez left the game briefly during the third period to get his ankle taped. He returned and logged more than seven minutes in the fourth. ... The Hornets have blocked 43 shots (7.2 bpg) through six games this season. ... The Rockets improved to 3-2 this season in games in which it led at halftime. ... Houston became the first team this season to reach 100 points against New Orleans, which entered Wednesday limiting opponents to only 88.6 points per contest. ... The Rockets set season highs of 64 points in the first half and 39 points in the second quarter.

UP NEXT: For the Hornets, Friday vs. Oklahoma City, Saturday @ Milwaukee, Tuesday vs. New York. For the Rockets, Friday @ Portland, Sunday @ L.A. Lakers, Monday @ Utah.

• Hornets: Gordon
• Rockets: Machado, Motiejunas, White

• Hornets: --
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #36 David Jones, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 14535
• Duration: 2:12