Raptors-Rockets Preview

By MIKE LIPKA
Posted Nov 26 2012 6:09PM

The Houston Rockets are coming off a resounding victory on the court, but the organization has since suffered a far more significant loss.

With coach Kevin McHale still away following the death of his 23-year-old daughter, the Rockets play on Tuesday night against Kyle Lowry and the visiting Toronto Raptors.

Kevin McHale has been away from the team since Nov. 10, and Alexandra "Sasha" McHale died Saturday. In a statement, Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said the "entire organization is mourning."

Interim coach Kelvin Sampson said he spoke to Kevin McHale on Monday.

"He's doing funeral arrangements for his daughter," Sampson said. "He's very emotional. Tough time. That's his baby girl. Nothing else has to be said."

The sad news came after perhaps the Rockets' best performance of the season in Friday's 131-103 win over New York, Houston's second straight home victory following an 0-3 trip.

With Jeremy Lin facing his former team for the first time and contributing 13 points, the Rockets (6-7) were powered by 33 from James Harden and 31 from second-year standout Chandler Parsons, who is averaging 20.1 in his last seven games.

Parsons' 13-of-17 shooting was the biggest reason the Rockets hit a season-best 51.7 percent from the field and matched their highest point total since 1995.

"Chandler's just a winner," Sampson said. "Right now he's just in a groove."

Lin is still looking to get hot. He's shooting just 34.8 percent on the season and he's totaled nine assists and 12 turnovers in his last three games.

After his much-anticipated reunion with the Knicks, he gets a tough matchup with the point guard he replaced in Houston. Lowry, who spent three-plus seasons with the Rockets, will be facing them for the first time since being traded to the Raptors for a draft pick in July.

"I understand it's a business," Lowry said. "I never take anything personal involving trades. This league, you can't get too caught up in what happens when you get traded."

Although he missed six games with an ankle injury earlier this month, Lowry is back and continuing to make an impact for Toronto, averaging 18.3 points and 6.1 assists.

"He can do it all," Lin said. "He's a really good point guard, and I think he's underrated in a lot of ways, so I'll have my hands full."

The Raptors (3-11) have lost all four games since Lowry returned from his injury, although they led in the fourth quarter of each. Following consecutive one-point losses at Charlotte and Detroit, they forced San Antonio into a second overtime Sunday before falling 111-106.

Andrea Bargnani had a miserable afternoon, hitting 2 of 19 from the field and 0 of 7 from 3-point range to finish with a season-low four points. He had a season-high 34 in the previous game against the Pistons.

"Come hell or high water, he's our guy," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.

"We're in a process," Casey added. "And I know it doesn't look like it, and it sounds like a broken record, but we are getting better."

The Raptors have lost five straight in Houston to fall to 3-14 there all-time.

Sampson said the Rockets plan to wear black patches on their jerseys to honor Sasha McHale.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Harden, Patterson help Rockets top Raptors 117-101

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Nov 27 2012 11:43PM

HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Rockets took care of Toronto, then looked ahead to a long, emotional Wednesday.

James Harden scored 24 points and matched a career high with 12 assists to lead Houston over the Raptors 117-101 on Tuesday night. Patrick Patterson added 22 points for the Rockets, who have won four in a row. Omer Asik had 13 points and 18 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season.

Now comes the hard part.

The Rockets planned to fly to Minneapolis immediately after the game to attend Wednesday's memorial service for Sasha McHale, the 23-year-old daughter of coach Kevin McHale. Sasha McHale died on Saturday from complications of lupus.

The team will then fly from Minneapolis to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Wednesday night.

"I think we're strong enough to get through it," Harden said. "We've got to be there for Coach. He's going through a lot right now. Our biggest thing is just supporting him, and making sure we comfort him."

It was going to be an emotional day for Harden anyway. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year will return to Oklahoma City for the first time since he was traded to Houston on Oct. 27.

"It'll be good to see some faces, some old teammates and coaches," Harden said. "I look forward to every game I play. It's another game."

Andrea Bargnani scored 21 points and Terrence Ross added a career-high 19 for the Raptors, who have lost five straight. The Rockets scored 27 points off 16 Toronto turnovers.

"Houston outran us down the floor and our turnovers killed us," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "Houston shot the heck out of the ball, but we caused some of that by our turnovers."

Jeremy Lin had 16 points and 10 assists for Houston. Lin went 7 for 9 from the field, his best shooting game of the season. He was 6 for 12 from the field in Friday night's win over New York, and interim coach Kelvin Sampson thinks Lin may have finally found his touch after struggling early this season.

"This is the best game Jeremy has played, no question," Sampson said. "I thought he got his swagger back against New York. He's been working hard with his shooting."

Lin swished a 3-pointer and finished a fast break with a jumper from the wing in the opening 6 minutes.

Bargnani kept Toronto close for a while, starting 7 for 9 from the field and hitting three 3-pointers in the first half. The Rockets shot 51 percent (26 of 51) in the half and led 61-51 at the break, even though their minds were on McHale's tragedy.

"Right now, it's an emotional time for the whole team," Lin said. "We're missing our leader. Right now, we're just focused on coming out and playing the way we're supposed to play. Hopefully, when he is watching, he can be proud of us."

Chandler Parsons, who scored 18 points, got a text message from McHale after Tuesday's game that said, "Thank you."

"So you can tell he is down," Parsons said. "But just watching us get these wins is helping him and I think that should give us more incentive to keep playing together, keep playing hard and being a product of him."

The Raptors started a modest 5 for 12 from the field in the second half, but still couldn't keep up. Patterson converted a three-point play after a dunk, then sank another 3-pointer for an 89-64 Rockets lead and a new individual season-high point total.

Houston hit a season-high 14 3-pointers in Friday's 131-103 win over New York and had 12 through three quarters on Tuesday night. The Rockets shot 53 percent (44 of 83) and finished 13 for 26 from 3-point range against Toronto. Houston's 30 assists matched a season high.

"We're finding each other better, we're making the extra pass better," Sampson said. "We're playing as a team, guys are taking good shots."

But Sampson was at a loss trying to explain how he can prepare Houston for Wednesday's game against the defending Western Conference champions. The Rockets are cutting it close, scheduled to arrive only 3 1/2 hours before tipoff.

"I don't pretend to know what to do there," Sampson said. "As long as we get there by 7, we'll be OK."

NOTES: Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry, who played for Houston from 2009-12, got supportive applause when he was introduced before the game. He finished with seven points on 3-for-10 shooting. ... The Raptors have lost six straight games in Houston. ... Houston's 38 third-quarter points were a season high. ... The Rockets recognized Sasha McHale's death with a moment of silence before the announcement of the starting lineups.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Rockets 117, Raptors 101

Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Tue Nov 27, 2012 11:29 PM - Updated Tue Nov 27, 2012 11:29 PM

THE FACTS: After rolling past the Toronto Raptors -- the latest Eastern Conference team to leave Toyota Center with a loss -- the Houston Rockets have completed their climb back to .500. The Rockets can only wish they could beat up on teams from the East often enough to never worry about dropping below .500 again.

James Harden scored 24 points and dished out a career-high-tying 12 assists, Patick Patterson added 22 points, and Omer Asik recorded a double-double of 13 points and 18 rebounds as Houston wrapped up a 3-0 homestand with a 117-101 victory over Toronto on Tuesday. With the win, the Rockets (7-7) improved to 6-1 against the Eastern Conference this season.

Andrea Bargnani led the Raptors (3-12), losers of five consecutive games overall and six straight in Houston, with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Rookie Terrence Ross poured in a career-high 19 points and snatched five boards.

QUOTABLE: "I just think a lot of it is natural evolution. We're finding each other better. We're making the extra pass better. ... This past week, we've really worked on getting ourselves better. You can tell our offense is crisper."

-- Houston acting coach Kelvin Sampson

THE STAT: The Rockets protected the ball exceptionally well before halftime, committing only two turnovers. Toronto, meanwhile, allowed 16 points off nine first-half giveaways to cancel out its 55.0 percent shooting performance.

TURNING POINT: Houston could sense that the Raptors were reeling heading into halftime, and Harden landed the finishing punch by opening the second half with a furious 11-point stretch. In addition to draining three consecutive 3-point attempts, Harden drove to the hoop and threw down a slam during a 17-4 Rockets run that gave Houston a 78-55 lead with 7:41 remaining in the third period.

HOT: Patterson did not record any statistic, aside from two fouls, in his three minutes on the court during the first period. In 18 minutes of action after that, the third-year forward racked up 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting, five boards and one steal.

QUOTABLE II: "It sucks to be sitting on the bench watching your teammates play even though you want to be out there. ... After that, I just wanted to come out and do everything: score, rebound, push the ball."

-- Rockets' Patrick Patterson

NOT: Toronto guard Kyle Lowry, who spent more than three seasons in a Rockets uniform, had a forgettable return to Houston. The Raptors floor general finished with only seven points on 3-for-10 shooting to go with five assists and three turnovers.

GOOD MOVE: After Raptors coach Dwane Casey went to his twin towers on the bench, Ed Davis and Amir Johnson, to give his team a decisive advantage on the interior, Toronto ripped off a 7-0 spurt to cut a 32-23 deficit to two points about two minutes into the second period. Rockets coach Kelvin Sampson responded by placing his starting frontcourt of Asik and Patterson back into the game, and Houston's lead continued to grow until the eventual outcome was obvious. With the Raptors unable to force turnovers or dominate on the glass, their offense simply was not enough to keep them within striking distance.

BAD MOVE: Toronto is hardly a team full of quitters, but it dropped to 0-6 this season when trailing after the first quarter and 0-11 when trailing at halftime. If the Raptors plan to avoid being the cellar dwellers of the Atlantic Division again, they must display more resilience.

NOTABLE: Houston's players wore a green band on the shoulder of their uniforms to memorialize coach Kevin McHale's daughter, Sasha McHale, who died Saturday after losing a lengthy battle with Lupus. Kevin McHale has been away from the team since Nov. 10. ... The Rockets will fly to Minneapolis following Tuesday's game to attend Sasha's funeral, which will be held Wednesday morning. The team will then immediately depart to Oklahoma City for Wednesday night's matchup with the Thunder. ... Houston forward Carlos Delfino (strained groin) said at Tuesday's shootaround that he is targeting Saturday's game against Utah for his return. He said he wants to participate in at least one full practice, ideally on Friday, before he returns to the lineup. ... Toronto is 3-15 all-time in Houston. ... The Raptors fell to 1-5 this season when they reach 100 points. ... All five of Houston's starters have scored in double figures in back-to-back game. ... Rockets forward Chandler Parsons has netted at least 10 points in a career-high eight consecutive games. ... Houston scored a season-high 38 points in the third period.

QUOTABLE III: "Tomorrow's definitely going to be a long day. It's emotional, but I think we're strong enough to get through it. We've got to be there for coach [McHale] ... Our biggest thing is just supporting him and making sure that we comfort him in knowing that we're there for him."

-- Rockets' James Harden

UP NEXT: For the Raptors, Wednesday @ Memphis, Friday vs. Phoenix, Monday @ Denver. For the Rockets, Wednesday @ Oklahoma City, Saturday vs. Utah, Tuesday vs. L.A. Lakers.