Mutombo, Rockets surge to 13th consecutive win
Houston 94, Washington 69
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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON -- Before allowing his new starting center to find a seat on the bench in the first quarter, Rick Adelman pulled aside Dikembe Mutombo for a brief chat.
The Rockets coach didn't mind seeing the veteran center do one of his famed finger wags after stuffing Washington's Andray Blatche on a drive. But since Mutombo drew a technical foul with that wave, Adelman wanted to make sure that his center hadn't forgotten what he can get away with.
The coach calmly explained to Mutombo that he needed to direct his finger wags to the fans instead of opposing players because the Rockets can't afford to have him tossed with their sudden shortage of big men.
"He's got to do it to the fans," Adelman said of Mutombo's finger wag. "He's out of shape in that regard. He'll get his timing back. But you gotta love his heart."
Mutombo didn't have trouble remembering how to do the rest of his job.
Behind a vintage performance from their veteran center, the Rockets had one of their best defensive efforts of the season and overcame the absence of injured star Yao Ming to thump the Washington Wizards 94-69 Tuesday night at Toyota Center.
The Rockets (37-20) rolled to their NBA-best 13th straight win and remained three games behind the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers.
Mutombo played a vital role in the latest win. Despite playing in a mere 14 games before getting the starting nod in place of Yao, the Rockets center was in midseason form. He helped the Rockets seize control of the game early by making a couple of baskets and -- surprise, surprise -- swatting a few shots.
The center's effort was a promising development on an otherwise disappointing day.
"I did good," said Mutombo, who finished with four points, four blocked shots and six rebounds in 23 minutes of action. "I believe I set the tempo early and everybody just followed behind."
The center rejected two shots in the first quarter, including his swat of Blatche after the Wizards forward tried to challenge the center off a fast-break.
The pair of defensive stops helped key an impressive first half on the defensive end for the Rockets. Houston held Washington to a frachise-low 23 points in the opening 24 minutes and took a 28-point lead into halftime. The Wizards never recovered as they finished shooting a meager 31.3 percent.
Credit Mutombo for getting the Rockets' D off to a solid start.
"It was great," Rockets point guard Rafer Alston said. "I knew he was going to bring that today. Everybody knew. Deke told us he was going to be his normal self, play some defense, set some screens, block shots and just ignite us out there. He had a real presence down there."
The Rockets got an additional boost from Carl Landry and Luis Scola.
Despite losing Yao's scoring, the two rookies were able to provide some relief inside by relentlessly attacking the offensive glass and getting loose for open jumpers. Scola netted 14 points, while Landry added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Overall, the Rockets were hot even without Yao commanding attention in the paint. Houston knocked down 48.2 percent of their shots as Luther Head led the way with 18 points.
The Rockets had five players in double figures.
"Not having Yao, everybody had to step up a little bit and we all did," Head said. "Everybody contributed and everybody scored the ball well. We did it together as a team."
Mutombo's contribution, though, was perhaps the most impressive considering his lack of playing time heading into Tuesday's game.
The question now: Can he keep it up?
Adelman said before the game that the Rockets would evaluate Mutombo's playing time over the next few games and that he might rotate the starting job at center based on matchups. Mutombo would likely draw the start when the Rockets are facing teams with a big front line.
But regardless of the matchup, the Rockets will need Mutombo. The center said he's ready to help.
"Yao is leaving this job to me to finish the season strong," Mutombo said. "I didn't play that much in the first half of the season so I think there is a lot left in my tank to finish the season strong. I don't see why not."
He'll just have to a better job of controlling his finger wag.
"I was disappointed in myself for giving up $500 again," Mutombo said. "I didn't know the guy was still there. I thought he was going to run back on defense because he got his shot blocked. But the guy was still there."
