Game Night: Sixers @ Rockets - 2/22/2012

By KYLE DOLAN

The Sixers travel to Houston tonight looking to snap a four-game losing streak and right their ship before the All-Star break.

Luckily for Philly, who fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 89-76 last night, their Atlantic Division rivals, the Boston Celtics, have also lost their last four games. Philadelphia maintains its lead in the Atlantic, with the Celtics and the surging Knicks both four games back. The Rockets, who are coming off a win over Memphis on Monday night, have won two straight and will look to make it three going into the All-Star break.

Despite their recent struggles, the Sixers still boast the league’s stingiest defense, allowing just 87.4 points per game, and a respectable 91.5 over their last four games. However, their offense has stagnated and is averaging just 82.3 points per game during the losing streak, after putting up 95.9 points per game through the first 29 games of the season. The Sixers will face another tough test tonight at the Toyota Center, as Houston feature’s the league’s eighth-best offense, averaging 97.7 points per contest.

Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry is having a breakout year. Starting all of Houston’s 31 games this season, the 25-year-old Villanova-alum is averaging career bests in minutes (35.4), points (15.7), assists (7.7), rebounds (5.2), and steals (2.0). The last time the Sixers visited Houston, Lowry dropped 36 points, going 6-of-9 from downtown and a perfect 15-for-15 on the rest of his shots. Despite Lowry’s spectacular efforts in that game, the Sixers emerged with the victory; Philly has won seven of their last eight games against the Rockets, including each of their last four visits to the Toyota Center.

Defensively, Jrue Holiday, who is having arguably his best season as a defender, will be taxed with slowing down the playmaking Lowry. Offensively, the 6’ 4” guard is coming off of two consecutive 20-point performances after going a combined 1-for-17 for six points in the two games prior to that. Before this recent offensive outburst, the UCLA-alum had reached the 20-point mark just four times this season. He averaged a team-best 22.0 points on 69.6 percent shooting in the Sixers’ two games against the Rockets last season.

The Sixers are still without both of their starters in the frontcourt, Elton Brand (thumb) and Spencer Hawes (achilles), and will continue to look to their rookie bigs, Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic, for help on the glass and in the paint. Houston is anchored in the middle by former Sixer center Samuel Dalembert, who is averaging a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game in just 23.1 minutes of action.

Probable Starters

SIXERS

Jrue Holiday, Jodie Meeks, Andre Iguodala, Andres Nocioni, Lavoy Allen

ROCKETS

Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin, Chandler Parsons, Luis Scola, Samuel Dalembert

Season Leaders

Lou Williams: 15.6 PTS	POINTS	Kevin Martin: 18.1 PTS
Spencer Hawes: 8.3 REB	REBOUNDS	Samuel Dalembert: 7.6 REB
Andre Iguodala: 5.3 AST	ASSISTS	Kyle Lowry: 7.7 AST

Game Notes | Schedule | Standings | Stats | Injury Report

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