Some post-game quotes.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011031210Parker leads Spurs past Rockets
The San Antonio Spurs knew the Houston Rockets would provide a test, and they were ready for it.
Tony Parker scored 21 points and helped the Spurs beat back a second-half comeback bid by the Rockets for a 115-107 victory Saturday night.
The Spurs led by 13 points in the second quarter and were up by 10 at the half before Houston took its first lead at 67-66 on a dunk by Jordan Hill with 6:06 left in the third quarter.
“Houston is a very hard team to guard,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We made a lot of big stops when we needed to. I felt fortunate to get out of here with a win as Houston always gives us problems.”
Houston’s final lead was 89-87 with 9:52 to play on a three-point play by Kyle Lowry. The Rockets tied it at 97 with 6:39 to play, but a 3-pointer by Parker with 6:24 to go put San Antonio in the lead for good.
“It was a great win and a very physical game,” Parker said. “We made the big stops and shots at the end. We did a good job as a team in slowing down Lowry and the Houston offense. I thought we did a great job defensively and to get a win on the road.”
Manu Ginobili added 19 points and Antonio McDyess had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs.
“All the stops we couldn’t get early we were able to get at the end,” Ginobili said. “We made some free throws and the game went our way. Houston is a tough team and they are fighting for a playoff spot.”
Kevin Martin had 12 points in the Rockets’ big third quarter and finished with 28. Courtney Lee had 16 points off the bench.
The Rockets trailed 59-49 at the half before staging a third-quarter comeback that ended with Lowry’s running 3-point jump shot at the buzzer for an 82-81 lead going into the final period.
Luis Scola, the Rockets’ second-leading scorer, missed his second straight game with a sore left knee.
“I’m very disappointed for our team,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “They played really hard after the first quarter. We picked it up defensively and played better, but they made plays down the stretch where we were trying to play with a team that hasn’t been on the court very much.”
San Antonio took advantage of Houston’s cold shooting and porous defense at the start for a 35-25 lead after one quarter. Martin had 10 points in the period.
The Spurs built a 50-37 lead with 7:11 to go in the second quarter. The Rockets made a 10-2 run and pulled within 52-47 before Ginobili hit a 3-point basket and Parker made two baskets in a row to put San Antonio up 59-49 at the half.
“They play well,” Rockets center Chuck Hayes said. “They’ve got a nice core group. They might not be the most exciting above the rim but who cares? If you find a way to win, you can win.”
Notes: The Spurs are 10-3 in the first game of back-to-backs this season and 9-4 in second games. They beat Sacramento 108-103 Friday night Scola had played 311 consecutive games before sitting out Tuesday’s game against Phoenix with a sore left knee. The Rockets started the longest homestand of the season, six games, and play 10 of their final 15 games at home Spurs forward Richard Jefferson returned after missing his first start in 64 games this season Friday because of personal business. Rookie James Anderson replaced him for his first career start.
Are the Rockets too poor to afford one of those giant swiffer mops? They had kids out on the floor on their hands and knees, wiping up sweat with a towel. That's right up there with having a pin-boy setting up racks in a bowling alley.
Have things gotten that tough in Houston?
Way to hang tough and get that road win, guys!
GO SPURS GO!!!!!
Good win.
Rockets are now 33-34 while the 8 seed record is 36-31. They are heading towards the lottery for the second straight season. Last off-season some medias and some of their fans thought they were the 2nd best team in the west...
lol RJ
San Antonio Spurs 115, Houston Rockets 107: The defense came around, eventually
by Jesse Blanchard
48 Minutes of
Following their victory over the Sacramento Kings, before boarding a flight for Houston, a noticeably frustrated Gregg Popovich and several members of the San Antonio Spurs remarked that if their play of the past week continued they would find little success on the road.
“There are some opponents that are going to let you do this, but Houston desperately needing wins to get to the eighth seed, and then Miami and Dallas, it’s not going to happen,” Manu Ginobili said. “We’re going to have to play way better from minute one to 48 and go back to where we were 10 days ago defensively.”
Consider the Spurs 0-1 on their bold prediction.
Playing without Luis Scola, the Houston Rockets managed to put together an offensively dominant third quarter, taking the Spurs deep into the fourth quarter with the game in doubt. For the game, the Spurs surrendered 48 percent shooting (40 percent from three). The defense did not improve, yet the victory remained the same.
And if the performance did not spark much confidence heading into games at Miami and Dallas, remember that these Houston Rockets are not Miami or Dallas. In an 82-game season that has gone as successful as this one has so far, sometimes the opponent is merely boredom.
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