PrintLakers Prove Too Tough For Shorthanded Rockets
Rockets keep fighting but ultimately fall short, losing 109-101 to LA
Jason Friedman
Rockets.com
Houston - For one quarter at least, the Rockets evoked memories of last year’s improbable playoff run, shrugging off significant injuries, bucking the odds and giving the Lakers all they could handle.
But the world champs earned their title for a reason and these Rockets currently find themselves even more shorthanded than they were a year ago. The end result: after Houston stirred the echoes of that magical May during Saturday night’s opening 12 minutes, the Lakers eventually asserted their superiority, using a dominant second quarter to pull away for a 109-101 victory.
“It was pretty simple, we just had a bad second quarter,” said Rockets’ head Coach Rick Adelman. “Right now, we’ve got to make jump shots. That’s the type of team we have and we didn’t do that in the second quarter. I thought we got really impatient. We didn’t rely on our teammates and we were trying to force the issue. They’re too good a team defensively to do that.”
With injuries robbing the Rockets of the services of Shane Battier, Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries and David Andersen, Adelman continued to do his best juggling act with the rotation, this time inserting rookie Jermaine Taylor into the starting lineup. And despite facing the unenviable task of going head-to-head with Kobe Bryant, Taylor actually acquitted himself quite well in the early going, showing off his own considerable physical talents while outscoring the Lakers’ superstar 10-4 during an impressive first quarter which saw Houston race out to a 34-27 lead.
“I thought he was great,” Adelman said. “The thing I loved about him is he came out very aggressive and he didn’t back down from him. I was very pleased with the way he approached the game. That’s how he had to do it. He competed with Kobe and went after him and didn’t back away, and that’s a great sign.”
Taylor, who finished the game with career-highs in points (15), rebounds (5) and assists (3), said he felt comfortable during his 30 minutes of action and harbored no feelings of fear or intimidation while going toe-to-toe with one of the game’s best players.
“ Kobe is just a human like I am. He’s a better basketball player but he puts his shoes on the same way I do, so I’m just going to go out there and do what I do.”
But while Taylor and his teammates owned the first quarter, Bryant and the Lakers were simply dominant in the second. With Los Angeles finding its rhythm offensively, the Rockets were subsequently forced to deal with the Lakers’ formidable half-court defense far more often and the end result wasn’t pretty. LA went on a 20-0 during which Houston missed 11 straight shots, as the Lakers broke open a close game, extending their lead to 19 before Luis Scola finally snapped his club’s scoreless streak with a bucket just before halftime.
Before the game, Adelman had preached the importance of attacking the Lakers early in the shot clock in order to prevent LA from locking in defensively. But during that decisive second quarter stretch, Houston too often went from aggressive to impatient and that, combined with the Lakers’ coolly efficient offense, proved to be the Rockets’ undoing.
“We were taking the ball out of the net every time,” lamented Adelman. “They’re the best half-court defensive team in the league. The first quarter we had them trying to figure out what we were doing but in the second quarter we got very predictable, posting up at 15 feet and doing things that made it easier on them.
“That’s why they’re the world champions: they just get into another gear. They went with a quicker lineup and turned it up a notch and we didn’t have an answer in the second quarter.”
Still, despite being undermanned and seemingly overmatched, the Rockets refused to lie down. Luis Scola, indomitable as ever, was especially effective, totaling 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds and a season-high tying 5 assists. His tireless work helped Houston chip away at its sizeable deficit and the Rockets actually sliced LA’s lead to 10 on an Aaron Brooks’ 3-pointer with 2:42 to go in the final quarter. But Jordan Farmer immediately answered with a trey of his own at the other end, effectively ending the possibility of a miracle finish.
“They have a lot of talent,” said Scola of the NBA’s reigning champions. “They've got a lot of players. We are not there right now. I think we got good things from the game. I wish we hadn't have had that bad second quarter and we could have stayed in the game longer. They were just too good for us.”
QUOTES
RICK ADELMAN
It was pretty simple, we just had a bad second quarter. Give them credit, they turned up their defense, they got physical and we fell into the trap. In the first quarter we were moving the ball and making a lot of shots but in the second quarter when they kept making shots, we got very impatient again. The combination of playing a really good team that’s long along the basket, we just couldn’t get good looks.
Right now, we’ve got to make jump shots. That’s the type of team we have and we didn’t do that in the second quarter. I thought we got really impatient. We didn’t rely on our teammates and we were trying to force the issue. They’re too good a team defensively to do that. Then in the second half we fought and did a better job.
I think what really happened is they started being much more efficient and we were taking the ball out of the net every time. They’re the best half-court defensive team in the league. The first quarter we had them trying to figure out what we were doing. But in the second quarter we got very predictable; posting up at 15 feet and doing things that made it easier on them. That team, that’s why they’re the world champions, once that happens they just get into another gear. They went with a quicker lineup and turned it up a notch and we didn’t have an answer in the second quarter. Give our guys credit, in the second half they put it out there and we got it to 9 but we just couldn’t come back, we were too far down.
(analysis of Jermaine Taylor’s play): I thought he was great. He hasn’t played hardly at all. We’ve seen flashes in practice and everything else but I think he’s a young man who’s watched and worked hard down in the Developmental League. He’s playing Kobe Bryant tonight and the thing I loved about him is he came out very aggressive and he didn’t back down from him. Sometimes young guys need to sit and watch. In the second half he leveled off but I was very pleased with the way he approached the game. That’s how he had to do it and he listened to guys; Shane talked to him, the coaches talked to him on how. He competed with Kobe and went after him and didn’t back away, and that’s a great sign.
TREVOR ARIZA
We got a little stagnant and they’re a good team. They’re long, athletic and they have a lot of talent, so they have a lot of options. They broke it down and started playing the kind of basketball they’ve been playing all year and we were a little undersized and undermanned and we couldn’t keep up.
AARON BROOKS
I thought we were too aggressive (in the second quarter). We hit some early shots in the beginning of the game where we were aggressive but were making smart decisions as far as passing and stuff like that. But in the second we took too many quick shots and they were scoring which cut off our offense in transition, so I think it all starts with defense and, defensively, we weren’t taking care of it and we weren’t taking great shots.
(on JT’s play): He played great. He came in and did a great job. He shot the ball well and defensively he did his job. It’s good to see. He worked hard and made the most of his opportunity to play.
(second quarter run too much to overcome?): Yeah, as we went on our run and cut their lead to 11, we’d make a bad play and they would push it back to 15. We could never seem to get it under 10. I think once you get it under 10 it feels like it’s still a ballgame. We got it to 10 once, then Jordan Farmer hit that 3 in the corner and that’s a dagger.
JERMAINE TAYLOR
(On his first NBA start) ”I felt real comfortable out there. First NBA game, first start. I was starting on Kobe Bryant. It was something that I didn't want to do but I had to. Just because it's Kobe Bryant. He is one of the players I grew up watching and now I'm getting a chance to guard him.”
(On his first quarter play) “I enjoyed it. It brought me back to my college days. I felt real comfortable out there, just happy to be out there.”
(not scared?): I’ve been a starter all my life. Kobe is regular; he’s just a human like I am. He’s a better basketball player but he puts his shoes on the same way I do, so I’m just going to go out there and do what I do.
LUIS SCOLA
(On the second quarter struggles) “They (Lakers) have a lot of talent. They've got a lot of players. We are not there right now. I think we got good things from the game. I wish we hadn't have had that bad second quarter and we could have stayed in the game longer. They were just too good for us.”
(On the Lakers) “I got the sense the whole game that they were controlling the game. It was hard for us to feel like we were in control. They (Lakers) were finding whatever they were looking for and when they find what they are looking for, that's not a good thing. They feel comfortable and they were executing.”
Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson
(On the Game) “I’m not happy with the way we played, but we won the game. Obviously the 11 points we held Houston to in the second quarter was very good. Houston is injured and was missing a couple of starters but we knew they would play hard. Houston ran dry in the second quarter and we capitalized on it.”
(On the goal of winning 60 games) “It’s a number. 60 was a goal we set early in the season. This team has a lot of pride in themselves and they want to do it, we’ll see.”
(On teams play) “I thought Pau (Gasol) was nifty. He had a real good block on (Luis) Scola. He had a good game overall. Derek Fisher wanted to come out and play well after last night. He has great character.”
Kobe Bryant
(On difference between tonight and last night) “We executed better. We came out and ran our offence the way we are supposed to. Our defense is very solid but there are nights that we just don’t show up defensively. Defense was the key to our second quarter”
(On winning 60 games) “It’s a goal, anytime you do that it’s a very nice accomplishment. We’ll see what happens. This is the time of year we have to continue to tune things up”
Ron Artest
(On ankle injury) “It was nothing. I fell funny. When I fell, I fell on my heel and I just had to walk it off.”
(On the game) “We came back tonight and played hard. We played good defense and we didn’t have many turnovers. We just need to play team basketball. We passed the ball to each other and that’s when our offence works best.”
Pau Gasol
(On the game) “We tried to be aggressive and bounce back from a poor performance last night. It was nice to get the win. We cracked it open in the second quarter and (On teams playoff picture) “There are still 9-10 games left and we have to continue to tighten things up. We’re in good position, there are a lot of battles left, but we’re in the same position as we were last year.”
NOTES
Tonight’s attendance of 18,583 marks the largest crowd in team history, surpassing the audience of 18,557 from last season’s game vs. the L.A. Lakers (1/13/09). It also marks the 11th sellout of the season at Toyota Center.
Houston dropped a 109-101 outing to the Lakers tonight, giving the Rockets a season-long, four-game losing streak (3/22/10-3/27/10). The Rockets have also lost four straight at home to the Lakers in the regular season.
The Rockets recorded 27 points off the break tonight, which marked the 14th time the Rockets have reached the 20-point mark in fast-break points this season. Houston entered this season having scored 20 or more fast-break points only twice since 2005-06.
Houston set its season-low with 11 second-quarter points tonight, surpassing the previous low of 15 points done twice (last: 15 in second on 3/25/10 vs. L.A. Clippers).
The Lakers took the battle of the boards by a 43-32 (-11) count tonight. Houston has now been outrebounded by a double-digit margin in four of its last five games. The Rockets, who dominated the glass by a 60-38 (+22) margin in the first meeting at the L.A. Lakers (11/15/09), dropped the battle of the boards by a 50-36 (-14) count the second time at Los Angeles (1/5/10).
Luis Scola led Houston with 28 points (12-16 FG), 10 rebounds and a career-high-tying five assists tonight. Scola also had a career-best five assists in four previous games (last: 3/3/10 vs. Sacramento).
Aaron Brooks totaled 26 points (8-22 FG, 4-12 3FG, 6-6 FT) and seven assists tonight. Brooks is averaging 7.3 assists over his last four games (3/22/10-3/27/10). Among players with at least 70 games played or 400 assists last season, Brooks stands as one of just two players in the NBA with an increase of two assists per game from 2008-09 to 2009-10.
Jermaine Taylor made the first start of his career tonight, notching a career-high 15 points (6-14 FG, 3-4 3FG), five rebounds and three assists.
Pau Gasol, who had not played against the Rockets this season prior to tonight’s outing, posted a season-high 30 points (11-17 FG, 8-9 FT), eight rebounds and four blocked shots. In 56 games with Gasol in the lineup this season, the Lakers are now 43-13 while defeating teams by an average of 7.1 points per game (398).
Kobe Bryant finished with 17 points (7-14 FG), 10 rebounds and nine assists, coming up one dime short of the Lakers first triple-double since Pau Gasol last season (12 pts., 13 reb., 10 ast. on 2/17/09 vs. Atlanta).
Derek Fisher had 15 points (6-8 FG, 3-3 3FG) and three assists tonight, matching his season best of 15 points done four times prior (last: 3/12/10 at Phoenix).
Lamar Odom, who had 17 points (7-10 FG), 19 rebounds (14 defensive) and a team-high nine assists in the last meeting at the L.A. Lakers (1/5/10), recorded 13 points (5-9 FG) and 13 boards tonight for his 22nd double-double of the season.
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