76ers-Rockets Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Dec 19 2012 1:28AM

The Houston Rockets' new backcourt hasn't been the perfect fit, but it was hard to tell in the last game.

James Harden and Jeremy Lin will try to keep that momentum going on Wednesday night when the Rockets host the slumping Philadelphia 76ers.

The addition of Harden from Oklahoma City and Lin from New York brought plenty of star power to Houston, but blending their talents is still a work in progress.

Still, Harden and Lin can carry the club when they're both on their games, as was the case in Monday's 109-96 road victory against the Knicks, who entered the game with a league-best 10-0 home record. Harden, the team leader with 25.1 ppg, finished with 28 and a season high-tying 10 rebounds, while Lin impressed in his return to Madison Square Garden with 22 points and eight assists to help the Rockets (12-12) rebound from Sunday's 103-96 loss at Toronto.

"Tonight I think we complemented each other really well," Lin said after Houston ended its seven-game road slide. "I think that's really important for us to be aggressive and pick our spots and feed the hot hand. Tonight we did a good job and took a step in the right direction in terms of figuring it out."

The Rockets have figured out how to win at the Toyota Center, posting an 8-2 mark there since opening 1-3 as the home team.

Houston is also much improved on the defensive end, giving up 95.3 points per game on 42.1 percent shooting during its current 3-1 stretch. The Rockets yielded an average of 113.6 points while splitting their previous eight contests.

"We are just getting better with our communication," said Harden, whose 42 steals are second-most on the team to Lin's 44.

That doesn't bode well for a Philadelphia team that could be without injured leading scorer Jrue Holiday for a fourth consecutive game.

The 76ers (12-13) opened their two-game Texas swing - and a stretch of 10 of 11 on the road - with Tuesday's 107-100 loss to Dallas.

Still, Philadelphia's Dorell Wright hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 25 points and center Spencer Hawes matched a season best with 18.

"I thought we had some guys play well and we've got to keep building on that," said coach Doug Collins, whose team has dropped a season-high four straight and seven of nine since a 6-2 stretch. "We know we're undermanned, but nobody cares."

Holiday, the team leader with 18.4 points per game and 8.9 assists, could give Philadelphia a much-needed boost, but he doesn't want to return too soon and risk further injury, regardless of the pressure he feels to get back on the court.

"I'm going to try to get back as quick as possible," Holiday said after Tuesday's shootaround.

That can't come soon enough as Philadelphia has lost four in a row away from home and is on the verge of matching its longest skid of last season. Houston's 93-87 home win on Feb. 22 sent the 76ers to a fifth straight defeat.

The Rockets had dropped four straight at home to Philadelphia and seven of eight in the series.

Wright, who will play his first game in this series, scored a career-best 34 points in a 131-112 loss at Houston on March 23, 2011, while with Golden State.

Harden is averaging 11.4 points in five career games against the 76ers, while Lin totaled 32 points and 11 assists in two matchups versus Philadelphia last season.

Harden scores 33 as Rockets beat 76ers 125-103

By JORDAN GODWIN
Posted Dec 19 2012 11:47PM

HOUSTON (AP) Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins knew what was coming before James Harden even stepped on the court.

"To me, when he's coming down the floor, he's very similar to LeBron James," Collins said before Wednesday night's game in Houston. "He combines size, strength and shooting, and he loves to make contact."

Harden played up to Collins' description, finishing with 33 points and seven assists to lead the Rockets to a 125-103 victory over Philadelphia.

Collins mentored Harden when he played at Arizona State and said he frequently told the young player that he had "no motor."

"(Collins) taught me a lot," Harden said. "I was too nonchalant and just chill. That's how I still am, but I have a little motor in me now. That's the difference."

Harden topped 20 points for the seventh straight game to send the 76ers to their fifth straight loss. He made a career-high 17 of 18 free throws, including six in the fourth quarter, as Houston improved to 9-2 in its last 11 home games.

"James is kind of the head of the spear," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "He's the guy that takes us out and gets us going."

Toney Douglas heated up in the fourth quarter for the Rockets, hitting five 3-pointers and scoring all 17 of his points.

Reserve Nick Young scored 21 points to lead Philadelphia, which matched its most lopsided loss of the season. The 76ers also lost by 22 points against the New York Knicks on Nov. 5.

"We just couldn't get any stops, and Harden controlled the game," Collins said. "We are just so undermanned."

Young hit a 3-pointer with less than three minutes left in the third quarter to cut Houston's lead to three, but the Rockets finished the quarter on an 8-1 run and led by 10 at the start of the fourth. Houston forward Greg Smith keyed the rally, scoring eight of his 13 points in the final two minutes of the third quarter.

"James (Harden) came up to me during a timeout and told me we needed to finish the quarter with energy," Smith said.

Chandler Parsons got the rebound on his own 3-point attempt and followed with a powerful dunk that kept Houston's lead in double digits midway through the fourth quarter. Parsons finished with nine points and was the only Rockets starter not in double-figures.

Jeremy Lin had 18 points and six assists, and Omer Asik added 17 points and 15 rebounds for Houston, which led by as many as 14 in the first half and was ahead 56-51 at the break.

Dorell Wright scored 20 points in a reserve role for Philadelphia, and Thaddeus Young added 17 - his 16th straight game in double-figures.

Philadelphia guard Evan Turner left the game with nine minutes left in the third quarter after suffering a left ankle injury. Turner limped to the locker room and returned with less than five minutes remaining, but he only stayed in the game for 17 seconds before heading back to the locker room.

Collins said the extent of Turner's injury was not immediately clear after the game.

Turner never re-entered the game and finished with six points, three assists and two rebounds, ending a 17-game streak of scoring in double-figures. The 2010 second overall pick has averaged 17.7 points in December and 15.5 this season.

Turner's absence might be the latest setback for the injury-plagued 76ers, who have been without center Andrew Bynum for the entire season.

Philadelphia point guard Jrue Holiday, the team's leading scorer at nearly 19 points per game, missed his fourth straight with a sprained left foot. Collins said he hoped Holiday would be back for Friday's home game against Atlanta but said the team isn't rushing his return.

"When you put a loss behind your name as a coach, they don't ask who played in the game," Collins said. "There is no asterisk that says you're undermanned."

Notes: Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel attended the game and received a brief ovation when his name was announced halfway through the third quarter. Texas A&M University in College Station is roughly 100 miles from Houston's Toyota Center. ... Houston F Patrick Patterson missed his third straight game with a bone bruise in his right foot.

Notebook: Rockets 125, Sixers 103

Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:55 PM - Updated Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:55 PM

THE FACTS: With James Harden and Jeremy Lin finally clicking at the same time, the Houston Rockets' offense seems nearly impossible to contain. Just ask the Philadelphia 76ers.

Harden scored 17 of his game-high 33 points at the free-throw line, while Lin added 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting and six assists as the Rockets rode a season-high 56.0 percent (42-for-75) shooting effort to a 125-103 rout of Philadelphia on Wednesday at Toyota Center. Omer Asik (17 points, 15 rebounds) posted his 11th double-double of the season, and Toney Douglas made five of eight 3-point attempts for Houston (13-12), which has won three consecutive home games and four of its last five overall.

Nick Young led the Sixers (12-14), who lost their fifth game in a row overall and on the road, with 21 points. Dorell Wright chipped in 20 points, six assists and six boards, but it was hardly enough for a Philadelphia team that allowed more points than it had all season.

QUOTABLE: "We were both just playing off of each other. ... We were in a good rhythm today for sure. He attacked and I attacked, and that's how we like it."
-- Lin on meshing with Harden.

THE STAT: Houston has buried at least 51.3 percent of its field goal attempts and poured in at least 52 points in the paint in back-to-back games thanks to Lin and Harden's aggressive penetration and ball movement. The Rockets' starting backcourt has combined for 25.5 points on 57.9 percent (33-for-57) shooting and 12.0 assists per game over the last two contests.

TURNING POINT: The Sixers remained within striking distance, trailing 98-90 more than four minutes into the fourth quarter, until the Rockets held Philadelphia to just two baskets over the next four minutes. Houston's success on the defensive end sparked a 17-5 run that gave it an insurmountable 115-95 lead with 3:48 remaining.

QUOTABLE II: "We hung in there for about as long as we could. We just couldn't get any stops."
-- Sixers coach Doug Collins

HOT: The Rockets, who attempted 36 free throws against Philadelphia, have shot at least 26 free throws in 10 of their last 14 games. Houston has averaged 28.1 attempts from the charity stripe during this period.

NOT: Rockets forward Chandler Parsons could not find a rhythm during his first bobblehead night, shooting 4-for-13 overall and 1-for-7 from 3-point range. Parsons has connected on only 22.2 percent (4-for-18) of his attempts from behind the arc in his last four outings.

BAD MOVE: The Sixers became the second opponent in Houston's last three games to continually allow reserve center Greg Smith to roam freely behind the defense. Led by four consecutive Smith buckets from inside five feet, the Rockets closed the third period on an 8-1 spurt to stretch an 81-78 advantage to 89-79.

GOOD MOVE: Houston could sense that Philadelphia was reeling entering the fourth quarter, affording the Rockets an opportunity to utilize the quickening pace to put the Sixers to bed. Houston, which finished with 18 fast-break points, outscored Philadelphia 11-0 in transition during the final period.

QUOTABLE III: "Just being unselfish, moving the ball and making the easy play. I think early on [this season] we were forcing. We were not playing our games, and those guys are great players and they both can have good games together. There's no reason for one to play good and one to not play good."
-- Parsons on what has occurred to improve the chemistry between the members of the starting backcourt.

NOTABLE: The Sixers played without leading scorer Jrue Holiday (sore left foot) for the fourth consecutive game. Collins said before Wednesday's contest that Holiday could return to game action Friday, but the team will not be "short-term foolish" as the 22-year-old guard recovers. ... Philadelphia rookie point guard Maalik Wayns made his first career start with Holiday sidelined. ... The Sixers' Evan Turner tweaked his left ankle during the third quarter, but he returned after a brief break for treatment. Turner exited the court a few minutes later after re-aggravating the injury, however, and his status moving forward is unknown. After the game, Turner said he can "walk on it" and does not expect to miss Friday's matchup with Atlanta. ... The Rockets scored a season-high 69 points in the second half, their ninth 60-point half of this season. ... Houston improved to 6-1 when Harden reaches 30 points. ... The Rockets are now 10-2 against Eastern Conference competition. ... Houston registered its first wire-to-wire victory of the season. ... Philadelphia fell to 1-14 this season when trailing after three quarters. ... The Sixers last dropped five straight games Feb. 15-22, a stretch that included a defeat at Toyota Center. ... Philadelphia has lost 12 consecutive games when it gives up at least 110 points. ... The Sixers' bench combined for 65 points.

UP NEXT: For the Sixers: Friday vs. Atlanta, Sunday @ Brooklyn, Wednesday @ Memphis. For the Rockets: Saturday vs. Memphis, Tuesday @ Chicago, Wednesday @ Minnesota.

• 76ers: Bynum
• Rockets: Machado, White

• 76ers: --
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #15 Bennett Salvatore, #56 Mark Ayotte, #61 Courtney Kirkland
• Attendance: 15266
• Duration: 2:13