The explosive Phoenix Suns won their fifth straight game with a
dominant 115-105 road victory over the Houston Rockets on
Saturday.
Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa scored 21 points apiece,
Stoudemire delivered 13 rebounds, Steve Nash had 19 points and 15
assists and Shawn Marion posted 18 points and 11 rebounds as the
Suns raised their record to 8-2, their best start since
2004-05.
Grant Hill also had 18 points for the Suns, who beat the Rockets
for the seventh time in the last eight meetings.
"We are a very good road team," Nash told reporters.
"We turned the ball over too much and we have to work on it. We
don't quite have the same flow (as last season) but we are playing
well.
"I never felt the game was that close as we controlled the tempo
all game."
In other National Basketball Association games, it was: Bucks
105, Hawks 96; Heat 91, Nets 87; Mavericks 108, Grizzlies 105;
Pacers 117, Jazz 97; Hornets 100, Timberwolves 82; Bobcats 100,
SuperSonics 84; Wizards 109, Trail Blazers 90; Nuggets 115, Knicks
83; and Bulls 92, Clippers 73.
In Houston, the Suns shot 62 percent from the field and were
10-for-19 on three-point shot attempts.
Phoenix beat a Houston team that was dropping its fourth
straight game, the last two with Tracy McGrady out of the lineup
with an elbow injury.
The Rockets are 11-41 in games McGrady has missed since joining
the team before the 2004-05 season.
"I'm really disappointed with our effort defensively in the
first half," Houston coach Rick Adelman said.
"They were pretty much doing whatever they wanted to do. They
were shooting 73 percent (in the first half) and we were only down
by 12."
Luis Scola led the Rockets with 20 points and 11 rebounds and
Mike James, McGrady's replacement, had 17 points.
Strong defense by Stoudemire and Marion limited Yao Ming to 12
points on just 4-for-17 shooting.
"It's not just about losing," Yao said.
The last couple of games were not good losses. In San Antonio it
was OK. We gave it our best but tonight we let the Suns shoot a
high percentage and we just killed ourselves."
In Milwaukee, Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd each scored 21
points to lead Milwaukee over Atlanta, extending the Hawks' road
losing streak to 17 games.
Atlanta's Josh Smith, who missed the game against Seattle with a
left quadriceps strain, started at center against the Bucks and
scored a career-high 38 points for the Hawks.
Joe Johnson added 14 for the Hawks, who have lost four of five
and are 0-4 on the road this season.
Also winless in four games on the road, the Bucks improved to
4-0 at home and pulled to .500 with the win.
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Dwyane Wade scored 23 points,
Penny Hardaway added 16 in his best game since returning to the
NBA, and the Heat beat the Nets for their second victory of the
season.
Shaquille O'Neal had 18 points for the Heat, who snapped a
three-game skid and sent the Nets to their fifth straight loss.
Wade was only 4-for-17 from the floor in his third game of the
season, but made 15 of 20 free throws before a clinching jumper in
the final second.
Rookie Sean Williams scored a season-high 22 points in his first
career start for the Nets, playing without injured All-Star Vince
Carter. Jason Kidd had 16 points and 15 assists.
(Shanghai Daily via Agencies November 19, 2007)