Bobcats-Rockets Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Feb 01 2013 3:24PM

The Houston Rockets spent plenty of time on the road and didn't enjoy a particularly successful January.

Perhaps a home game against the lowly Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night will help Houston begin February on a positive note.

The Rockets (25-23), who played 12 of their 17 games in January outside Houston, opened 2013 with four straight victories as part of a 12-3 stretch. However, they followed with a seven-game losing streak, the team's longest in seven years.

Houston ended that skid Jan. 21 with a 100-94 victory over Charlotte (11-34), which suffered a franchise-record 15th straight home loss. The Rockets went on to sandwich two losses to Denver around a three-game win streak, ending the month with an 8-9 record.

"You never want to lose. You especially don't want to lose when it's self-inflicted, and we did," coach Kevin McHale said after his team committed 22 turnovers in Wednesday's 118-110 road loss to the Nuggets.

The Rockets, averaging a league-worst 16.6 turnovers, should be confident heading into this contest against a Charlotte team which has beaten only one above-.500 opponent since November. Plus, Houston has won four straight and 12 of 14 in the series, including seven in a row at home by an average of 16.9 points since losing the Bobcats' first visit in 2004.

Charlotte comes to town sporting an 0-2 record on its five-game trip. After shooting 39.5 percent in Monday's 93-85 loss to Chicago, the Bobcats committed a season-high 24 turnovers Wednesday in a 102-78 defeat to league-best San Antonio.

"They capitalized on all our mistakes," said Ben Gordon, who tied Kemba Walker with a team-worst five turnovers.

The Bobcats' 10 turnovers last month versus Houston were their second-fewest of the season, and they held the Rockets to 39.2 percent shooting.

Charlotte, though, will need to do a better job of keeping James Harden out of the lane. The first-time All-Star overcame a 5-of-20 performance from the field by taking 21 free throws - just three fewer than the Bobcats - and hitting 19 to finish with 29 points.

Harden, fifth in the NBA with 25.9 points per game, leads the league in free throws made per game (8.7) and attempted (10.1).

Walker, the Bobcats' scoring leader at 17.8 points per contest, set career highs with six 3-pointers and 35 points last month versus the Rockets. However, he missed 10 of 13 shots and scored six points in the Bobcats' last game in Houston, a 107-87 loss March 14.

It was recently announced that Walker will return to Houston in two weeks along with rookie teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend. Second-year player Chandler Parsons will represent the Rockets.

Parsons is averaging 14.2 points after scoring 21 on Wednesday for Houston, the league's second-highest scoring team with 105.0 per game. The Rockets are averaging 113.5 points on 50.2 percent shooting during an eight-game home win streak against East opponents.

Charlotte has lost six straight road games versus West teams by an average of 20.7 points.

Harden gets triple-double as Rockets beat Bobcats

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Feb 03 2013 1:14AM

HOUSTON (AP) James Harden never had a game like this, and he never saw a player hurt the way Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was on Saturday night.

Harden had 21 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double in the Rockets' 109-95 win over the Bobcats on Saturday night.

The Rockets broke open a close game in the fourth quarter, after Kidd-Gilchrist collided with teammate Jeff Taylor and left the court on a stretcher. Kidd-Gilchrist, the second overall pick in last year's draft out of Kentucky, was fitted with a neck brace and taken to the hospital for X-rays.

The team said late Saturday night that Kidd-Gilchrist would be hospitalized overnight with a concussion. The X-rays and a CT scan were negative, the Bobcats said.

"First time I've ever seen that happen in a game," Harden said. "Definitely praying for him. A sad moment, but we just had try to get back, try to get our rhythm back."

Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap said that Kidd-Gilchrist was moving his extremities and talking as he was wheeled off the floor. Dunlap did not know if Kidd-Gilchrist would remained hospitalized in Houston overnight.

The Rockets led 81-80 early in the fourth when Kidd-Gilchrist was injured. He was trying to block Toney Douglas' driving layup and Taylor came in behind him going for the rebound.

Taylor's right hip connected with the back of Kidd-Gilchrist's head and Taylor came down on top of his teammate. Taylor heard Kidd-Gilchrist talking to the medical personnel, but he didn't speak to Kidd-Gilchrist directly.

"I didn't see anything, it happened so fast," Taylor said.

Chandler Parsons and Patrick Patterson scored 24 points apiece for the Rockets. Patterson hit 10 of 12 shots and scored 14 points in the final quarter to help Houston finally pull away.

"He just caught fire," Houston point guard Jeremy Lin said of Patterson. "We just kind of rode him all the way to victory."

The Bobcats rallied from 15 points down in the third quarter to take a five-point lead in the fourth. But they seemed to lose their momentum after Kidd-Gilchrist went down, and Houston finished with a 26-7 spurt.

"We can throw out any excuse we want," Dunlap said. "We know it's difficult. They're humans and they care about their teammate, but the other team had a stoppage as well."

Kemba Walker scored 24 points and Ramon Sessions had 20 points for Charlotte.

Harden came in averaging 26 points, but only 5.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds, per game. He had four rebounds and four assists in the fourth quarter to reach the unique milestone.

"It means a lot to me, it's my first time ever," Harden said. "I was trying to make shots, trying to rebound, trying to find other ways to impact the game other than scoring."

The Rockets never trailed in the first half, repeatedly beating the Bobcats down the floor for easy baskets.

Charlotte held Harden to four points in the opening quarter and cut the deficit to 32-27 heading to the second.

Parsons swooped in for a putback dunk after Omer Asik missed a free throw early in the second quarter as the Rockets started stretching the lead again. Parsons already had 17 points with eight minutes left in the half, then zipped a cross-court pass to Harden for a layup and a 44-32 Rockets lead.

Houston had 16 assists on 24 first-half field goals and led 62-51 at the break.

Harden scored seven points, including a 3-pointer, in the first five minutes of the third quarter. He also earned a technical foul for mouthing off at a referee over a call, as the Bobcats began turning the tide.

"All the stuff we did really well (in the first half), we couldn't do in the third," Houston coach Kevin McHale said.

The Bobcats cut into the deficit with solid defense, holding the Rockets to only six field goals in the third quarter. Walker sank a 3-pointer and Taylor finished the quarter with a dunk to make it 79-77 heading to the fourth.

The Rockets took control again over the final nine minutes. Patterson sank a pair of 3-pointers and Harden finishing the Bobcats off with a layup and a long jumper.

NOTES: The Bobcats have lost their last eight games in Houston. ... Sessions scored at least 20 points for the fourth time in five games. ... Rockets F Carlos Delfino strained his right elbow in the second quarter and did not return to the game. ... The Rockets have scored at least 60 points in 18 first halves this season. ... Asik had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Houston.

Notebook: Rockets 109, Bobcats 95

Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:02 AM - Updated Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:02 AM

THE FACTS: The Houston Rockets could not buy a bucket and were headed toward an embarrassing defeat at home when Patrick Patterson came alive.

Patterson poured in 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting over the final 7:30 of the fourth quarter to spark a late-game surge by Houston that allowed it to hold off the Charlotte Bobcats 109-95 on Saturday at Toyota Center. James Harden posted his first career triple-double (21 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists), and Chandler Parsons added 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets (26-23), who have won four of their last five games overall and nine of 12 at home.

Kemba Walker paced the Bobcats (11-35), losers of 30 of their last 34 games overall and six of seven on the road, with 24 points and four steals. Ramon Sessions scored 20 points on only nine field-goal attempts off the bench, while Jeffery Taylor chipped in with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting.

Charlotte may have suffered a greater loss than Saturday's defeat when rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was carted off on a gurney with his head in an immobilizing cast early in the fourth quarter. Gilchrist suffered a head injury when he crashed to the court and had Taylor's knee collide with the back of his skull immediately after. Gilchrist, who was attempting to defend Toney Douglas as Douglas was soaring toward the rim in transition, was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital for X-rays. A team spokesman said he did not know the results of the X-rays, but he verified that Gilchrist will stay in the hospital overnight for precautionary purposes.

QUOTABLE: "Mostly I was, I think everybody was, just letting him know that he's was going to be all right and trying to calm him. Obviously, it's a scary situation, so you can't really say more than that."
-- Taylor on what he said to Gilchrist in the aftermath of the collision.

QUOTABLE II: "He was talking to the medical staff and moving his extremities. ... I think the first thing that hit [the court] was his head. ... It was a quick, bang-bang play."
-- Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap on Gilchrist's status.

THE STAT: The Rockets outscored Charlotte 56-31 in the fourth periods of their two meetings this season.

TURNING POINT: The Rockets appeared to be cruising toward a victory, leading 79-69 with two minutes left in the third quarter. But the Bobcats woke up on the defensive end and held the Rockets to only one field goal -- a Parsons tip-in -- during a 17-2 run that put Charlotte ahead 86-81. Houston recaptured its offensive rhythm shortly after, however, scoring on 10 of its next 11 possessions as it built a 102-93 lead with 2:49 remaining in the final period.

QUOTABLE III: "That was huge. A couple of just beast, man-child dunks. He hit a huge jumper with the shot clock going out. Those were plays that we needed at a critical time, and he stepped up for us."
-- Parsons on Patterson's dominant stretch to close out the game.

HOT: Parsons, who was selected to compete in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend, kept the Bobcats on their heels in the first half with a 19-point, five-rebound effort. The second-year forward out of Florida has been playing perhaps the best basketball of his short NBA career lately, averaging 18.3 points on 61.2 percent (30-for-49) shooting to go with 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals over his last four games.

NOT: Douglas is mired in a serious offensive slump, shooting just 32.7 percent (17-for-52) from the field over his last six games. He knocked down only three of 11 shot attempts Saturday.

GOOD MOVE: After the Rockets allowed Walker to carve up their defense in a career-high 35-point performance Jan. 21 in Charlotte, Houston adjusted to forcing the 6-foot-1 guard to consistently settle for low-percentage shots near the perimeter. Only six of Walker's 23 field-goal attempts came from inside of 12 feet.

BAD MOVE: The Rockets had the Bobcats on the ropes on multiple occasions in the opening minutes of the second half, but they never delivered the knockout punch. Houston bailed itself out with an intense finish, but it likely would not have needed any late-game heroics had it played with higher energy earlier in the contest.

NOTABLE: Rockets forward Carlos Delfino strained his right elbow during the second quarter and did not return. The club labeled him as day-to-day moving forward. ... Charlotte has lost five consecutive meetings with the Rockets and eight straight in Houston. ... The Bobcats have earned only one victory over a winning team since November. ... Charlotte, which allowed the Spurs to finish with a 15-1 run in its previous game, was outscored 28-9 over the final 8:30 of Saturday's contest. ... The Bobcats fell to 3-20 this season against Western Conference competition. ... Houston improved to 21-6 this season when leading after three quarters. ... The Rockets finished with a 50-35 rebounding edge and a 58-32 advantage in the paint. ... Houston has won nine consecutive home games against Eastern Conference opposition. ... Omer Asik (19 points, 15 rebounds) recorded his 20th double-double of the season.

UP NEXT: For the Bobcats: Monday @ Miami, Wednesday @ Cleveland, Friday vs. L.A. Lakers. For the Rockets: Tuesday vs. Golden State, Wednesday @ Miami, Friday vs. Portland.

• Bobcats: Mullens
• Rockets: Jones, White

• Bobcats: --
• Rockets: Harden

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #38 Michael Smith, #18 Matt Boland, #75 Eric Dalen
• Attendance: 15494
• Duration: 2:18