PrintRockets Return to Winning Ways
Houston wraps up summer league play with 98-91 victory over Sacramento
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Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff WriterHouston - After spending the last two nights bemoaning a pair of games that somehow slipped through their grasp, the Rockets finally returned to the win column.
Aaron Brooks, Donté Greene and Maarty Leunen each took turns carrying the Houston offense, helping the team hold on for a 98-91 victory over Sacramento in the Las Vegas summer league finale. With the win, the Rockets wrapped up their week in the desert with a 3-2 record.
Neither team seemed interested in demonstrating much defense in the first half, as both clubs were content to play at a fast-paced, low pressure pace. The Rockets’ rookies took full advantage from the outset. In the first quarter, Leunen knocked down three shots from beyond the arc on his way to totaling 11 points and 4 rebounds in the first frame. Then it was Green’s turn in the spotlight, as the first year forward from Syracuse scored 8 straight points during one second quarter stretch, finishing the half with 16 points, 3 boards and 3 steals.
The second half saw the Rockets clamp down on defense, and the team reaped immediate results. Houston began the third quarter with a 14-4 run; seizing a lead it would not relinquish. And down the stretch Aaron Brooks took over, finding open teammates and knocking down all his free throws, ensuring there would be no repeat of the late-game collapses that had haunted Houston its previous two games.
Notes: Forward Joey Dorsey missed his second straight game due to a sprained ankle he suffered in Friday night’s contest against Denver. The injury is not considered serious… Greene shook off his shooting slump Sunday. He was 9-16 from the field; topping the 50% mark for the first time since the Rockets’ summer league opener.
