NBA: Bench boosts Rockets past Blazers

James Harden scored a team-high 29 points, but it was a maligned group of reserves who helped carry the host Houston Rockets to a come-from-behind, 111-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

Following a change in their starting lineup, with guard Eric Gordon replacing James Ennis, the Rockets received 37 points from their bench. Gerald Green (13 points), Danuel House Jr. (12) and Nene (10) all scored in double figures to help Houston snap a three-game skid.

The Rockets' four-man bench shot 15 of 22 from the floor, and with Houston trailing, 78-75, late in the third quarter, keyed a 25-5 run that stretched into the fourth. Green and House were instrumental during that stretch as the Rockets built a 100-83 lead before Portland rallied.

The Trail Blazers clawed within 102-97 on a pair of free throws by Jusuf Nurkic (15 points, 10 rebounds) with 2:56 remaining before Gordon (14 points) responded with a driving layup that beat the shot clock.

Rockets guard Chris Paul (11 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) sealed the win at the free-throw line as Portland took its fifth consecutive road loss. 

Damian Lillard paced the Trail Blazers with 34 points, while CJ McCollum chipped in 22.

The Trail Blazers bludgeoned Houston on the offensive glass in the first quarter, parlaying six offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points and an early 15-point advantage.

Nurkic and Al-Farouq Aminu (10 points, 15 boards) combined for five of those offensive boards, effectively undermining the Rockets' defensive effort. When Evan Turner corralled a McCollum miss and converted a layup at the 4:04 mark, Portland led, 27-12. Suddenly, the Rockets' reserves arrived en masse.

While Harden and Gordon ignited a 15-2 run, Nene, Green, and House kept the fire going. When House followed a Green 3-pointer with two free throws at the 8:14 mark of the second, the Rockets led, 36-33.

Portland, with Nurkic dominating the paint, reclaimed its lead, but the Rockets discovered the moxie needed to remain in contention before mounting another run.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Rockets take Game 5, inch closer to dethroning Warriors

Eric Gordon sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds left, and the Houston Rockets eked out a 98-94 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday at Toyota Center.

With the Rockets clinging to a two-point lead, Gordon sealed the victory at the foul line. The Warriors had an opportunity to pull even on their previous possession, but Draymond Green lost the basketball attempting a drive to the basket. Gordon recovered the loose ball.

The Rockets will take a 3-2 series lead back to Oakland, Calif., with a chance to close out the defending champions on Saturday.

Houston won Game 5 despite James Harden missing all 11 of his 3-point attempts while finishing with 19 points on 5-of-21 shooting. He also committed six turnovers.

The Rockets' other leader, Chris Paul, was on the bench for the final 22.4 seconds due to a right hamstring injury. Paul scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting in the second half after scoring two points and missing all seven of his field-goal attempts before halftime.

Gordon tallied a team-high 24 points off the bench.

Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 29 points while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 45 points on 16-of-31 shooting. 

However, Curry missed a runner off the glass with the Warriors trailing by one point down the stretch. Green had 12 points, 15 rebounds and six turnovers.

Paul hit his first basket at the 9:43 mark of the second half, a 3-pointer that lifted Houston to a 52-49 lead. That served to ignite him.

The Rockets benefitted greatly from the Warriors' lackadaisical ball security in the first half, recording nine points off eight Golden State turnovers to tread water despite their horrid shooting. 

Houston closed the half 6 of 24 from behind the arc with Harden and Paul misfiring on all 10 of their 3-point attempts while shooting 4 of 20 overall prior to the intermission.

Golden State closed the second quarter with an 8-0 spurt and pulled even at the break after Durant kept them afloat with 18 first-half points.

After combining for zero points on 0-of-4 shooting in the first quarter, Curry and Thompson started building momentum in the second and closed the half with 18 combined points. 

When Thompson scored through a foul on the first possession of the second half, the Warriors captured their first lead of the game at 47-45.

Each team wound up with as many turnovers as assists. The Warriors had 18 of each, the Rockets 12 of each.

Houston won despite being outshot from the floor 44.4 percent to 37.2 percent.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Even without Harden, Rockets blast Bulls by 32

Eric Gordon scored 31 points and his backcourt mate Chris Paul added a double-double as the Houston Rockets rolled to a 118-86 road victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday at Toyota Center.

Playing without All-Star guard James Harden and center Clint Capela, both of whom got the night off to rest, the Rockets nonetheless found little resistance en route to their 10th consecutive victory.

This marks the Rockets' third double-digit winning streak on the season, and Houston has won 27 of its last 28 games.

The Rockets swept the season series from the lottery-bound Bulls and have won four consecutive games against Chicago for the first time in nearly five years.

Houston extended its home-court winning streak to 18 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in team history.

Paul chipped in 13 points and 10 assists in his first action after missing three games with a hamstring injury. Paul, Gordon and Trevor Ariza drilled two 3-pointers each in the first quarter to get the Rockets going, with Houston trailing briefly 2-0 before taking charge early, leading 31-23 after one quarter.

Houston turned the modest lead into a runaway down the stretch of the first half, reeling off an 11-0 run that concluded with the first of four consecutive Gordon 3s.

The Rockets led 51-32 before Justin Holiday ended that run with a trey, only for Gordon to convert thrice more from behind the arc, including a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left for a 60-39 halftime lead.

By the 5:07 mark of the third Houston led 83-43, with reserve center Nene providing Houston that 40-point margin with a spinning post move. Nene opened the half with a dunk before Ariza (21 points) and Paul followed with 3s. Ariza added a three-point play prior to the Nene layup.

The Rockets attempted more 3-pointers than 2s (36), shooting 18 for 57 from deep.

Rookie Lauri Markkanen paced the Bulls with 22 points, 14 of which came in the first quarter. Denzel Valentine and Sean Kilpatrick each had 12 points off the bench for Chicago, which has lost six consecutive games.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Harden gets last laugh as Rockets top Thunder

Russell Westbrook repeatedly had his way with the Rockets defense, torching it to the tune of a Toyota Center scoring record for an opponent before three late misses set the table for James Harden to play the role of facilitator at the most opportune time for Houston.

Nene corralled a pass from Harden, absorbed a foul, and sank two free throws with 0.7 seconds left as the Houston Rockets eked out a 118-116 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.

Off an inbounds play originating with 3.8 seconds left, Nene set a screen for Harden and rolled to the rim. Harden followed by passing out of the double team, hitting Nene in stride and forcing Thunder forward Jerami Grant to commit the foul. Nene finished with a season-high 18 points over 17 minutes.

"They (the Thunder) did a good job (setting up defensively) on the first play so we called a timeout," Harden said. "I just got open and I saw two defenders guarding me, made the simple play to Nene and he knocked down two free throws."

Harden posted 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists. All five Rockets starters scored in double figures, including guard Patrick Beverley (11 points, eight rebounds). Eric Gordon scored 22 off the bench.

The Rockets (28-9) regained possession after Westbrook missed a pull-up jumper with 5.7 seconds left, his third consecutive errant shot following a 3-pointer that cut the Houston lead to 114-113 with 2:38 left.

Westbrook scored 49 points, sinking a career-best eight 3-pointers. He added eight rebounds and five assists for the Thunder (21-16), which has lost four of five games and three in succession. Houston took a 2-1 season-series lead against the Thunder, with all three contests decided by one possession.

"It's fun, definitely fun," Rockets forward Trevor Ariza said. "It's all you can ask for: a hard-fought game and we get the win at the end of it."

After the Rockets erased a 14-point deficit with a 25-point turnaround in the first half, the Thunder returned the favor by wiping away an 85-67 third-quarter deficit. Victor Oladipo (17 points) capped the rally with a corner 3 for a 116-114 lead at the 1:55 mark. The Thunder bludgeoned the Rockets on the boards in the fourth, chipping away behind Enes Kanter (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Westbrook.

Westbrook scored nine points in the period and Oklahoma City turned six offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points in the fourth. But Westbrook missed 6 of 8 shots in the quarter as the Thunder failed to maintain the momentum that sprung from its long, methodical push to the lead.

"There is nothing to take you through," Westbrook said of his final attempt. "I missed the shot."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA stars Harden, Gordon hype up NBA 3X

MANILA, Philippines – Houston Rocket’s James Harden and New Orleans Pelicans’ Eric Gordon are currently in Manila to hype up the NBA 3X Philippines which kicks off at the SM MOA Music Hall this weekend.

It was the second visit for the 2013 NBA All-Star Harden, who marveled at the Filipinos’ passion for basketball.

“The fan base is amazing over here in the Philippines. I’m excited to be back,” said the 6-foot-5 shooting guard, who steered the Houston Rockets to the recent 2012-2013 NBA Playoffs.

“The last time we’re here when we played a game, it was sold out,” he recalled.

Harden will be back in Manila in October, this time with the whole Houston squad, for their NBA Global Games Philippines pre-season game against the Indiana Pacers.

For his part, Gordon said he expects a positive experience when he meets the fans, especially the younger ones who will be participating in the NBA 3X event.




“[The love for the game] is good overall for basketball,” said the 2009 All-Rookie Second Team selection.

NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite features a 3-on-3 tournament that provides players with an opportunity to hone their skills and compete among their peers.

Following the success of Pinoy street ballers Kobe Paras, Thirdy Ravena, Arvin Tolentino and Rashleigh Rivero in the recent FIBA Asia U 18 3-on-3 championships, this faster, shorter and more intense basketball format is gaining popularity around the world.

The event tips off on Friday, 3 p.m., at Center Court of the SM MOA. Harden and Gordon will help run clinics and interact with fans.

NBA 3X will also be graced by the Indiana Pacemates of the Indiana Pacers and Grizz, the Memphis Grizzlies team mascot.


There are seven divisions -- four for boys and three for girls -- as well as a Celebrity Division, which will feature media and entertainment personalities.

Division winners will be entered into a special raffle whereby one lucky team will come away with four tickets to NBA Global Games Philippines 2013 between the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers at the MOA Arena on October 10.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com