Rockets lose close game to the Jazz
Since Kris is in Cleveland covering the Women’s NCAA Final Four, I thought I would cover the Jazz vs. Rockets game at Toyota Center tonight in his absence. This was not an exciting game. Sadly for the Sea of Red fans in attendance, the Rockets lost it in the last minute after leading most of the second half. The final score was 86 to 83.
The Rockets struggled in the first half. Only 3 players scored in the first quarter. Yao made the first 10 points for the Rockets in the first 10 minutes of the first period. The Jazz had no answer for him and he finished the first half with 20 points. T-Mac was the next player to score for the Rockets at the 2 minute mark of the first quarter. T-Mac struggled with his shot tonight; partly because his shot was flat…put some arc on the shot T-Mac. He finished the first half with 7 points; and Howard, Lucas, and Hayes scored five points among all the other Rockets players.
The Jazz played great defense and hit the boards to out rebound the Rockets in the first half. Both teams shot 28% in the first half, but the Jazz produced more second chance points than the Rockets…9 to 5 points. It was the difference in the score at halftime, 36 to 32, Jazz. The Jazz were led by Okur with 13 points and Williams with 8.
The second half was better than the first one. The Rockets started the second half on an 8-0 run started by a 3pt shot by Battier, followed by a Hayes basket and another 3 pt shot by T-Mac. The game remained close throughout the third quarter, but the Rockets always led. At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets were ahead by 2, at 61-59.
The fourth quarter was played like a playoff game. The Jazz stepped up their defense, and Boozer attacked the boards for rebounds. The Rockets kept pace until a bad call on Battier with a minute and half remaining. He was called for a blocking foul when it was clearly a charge by Boozer. The basket counted and put the Jazz ahead at 84-81. Boozer missed the free throw. The Rockets never regained the lead and the Jazz capitalized on missed shots and bad decisions by the Rockets to win the game at 86 to 83.
Yao Ming scored team high 35 points on 11 of 24 shots. T-Mac struggled with his shot and connected on 9 of 23 shots. He finished with 20 points. Okur lead the Jazz with 20 points on 7 of 18 shooting . Boozer added 13 points and Williams contributed 12 points to pull out the win for the Jazz.
For a game that had playoff position ramifications, no one on the Rockets seemed to play like it mattered except Yao Ming. If this is a preview of the first round playoff match between the Rockets and Jazz, expect an evenly matched series…and a low scoring one too.
Hopefully the Rockets will show a little more heart.
The Rockets struggled in the first half. Only 3 players scored in the first quarter. Yao made the first 10 points for the Rockets in the first 10 minutes of the first period. The Jazz had no answer for him and he finished the first half with 20 points. T-Mac was the next player to score for the Rockets at the 2 minute mark of the first quarter. T-Mac struggled with his shot tonight; partly because his shot was flat…put some arc on the shot T-Mac. He finished the first half with 7 points; and Howard, Lucas, and Hayes scored five points among all the other Rockets players.
The Jazz played great defense and hit the boards to out rebound the Rockets in the first half. Both teams shot 28% in the first half, but the Jazz produced more second chance points than the Rockets…9 to 5 points. It was the difference in the score at halftime, 36 to 32, Jazz. The Jazz were led by Okur with 13 points and Williams with 8.
The second half was better than the first one. The Rockets started the second half on an 8-0 run started by a 3pt shot by Battier, followed by a Hayes basket and another 3 pt shot by T-Mac. The game remained close throughout the third quarter, but the Rockets always led. At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets were ahead by 2, at 61-59.
The fourth quarter was played like a playoff game. The Jazz stepped up their defense, and Boozer attacked the boards for rebounds. The Rockets kept pace until a bad call on Battier with a minute and half remaining. He was called for a blocking foul when it was clearly a charge by Boozer. The basket counted and put the Jazz ahead at 84-81. Boozer missed the free throw. The Rockets never regained the lead and the Jazz capitalized on missed shots and bad decisions by the Rockets to win the game at 86 to 83.
Yao Ming scored team high 35 points on 11 of 24 shots. T-Mac struggled with his shot and connected on 9 of 23 shots. He finished with 20 points. Okur lead the Jazz with 20 points on 7 of 18 shooting . Boozer added 13 points and Williams contributed 12 points to pull out the win for the Jazz.
For a game that had playoff position ramifications, no one on the Rockets seemed to play like it mattered except Yao Ming. If this is a preview of the first round playoff match between the Rockets and Jazz, expect an evenly matched series…and a low scoring one too.
Hopefully the Rockets will show a little more heart.
posted by SORF @ 9:46 PM
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