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NBA Capsules: Budinger, Dalembert lead Rockets past Knicks
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets thought their depth would be one of their strengths before the season began.
The reserves are now playing well enough to give the starters valuable rest during the lockout-compressed season.
Chase Budinger scored 19 points, Samuel Dalembert grabbed 14 rebounds and the Rockets beat the New York Knicks 97-84 on Saturday night for their ninth win in 10 games.
Backup forward Jordan Hill had 14 points and 11 rebounds, reserve guard Courtney Lee scored 14 points in place of the injured Kevin Martin, and the Rockets shot 49 percent (38 of 77) to improve to 9-2 at home this season.
Houston's reserves scored a season-high 61 points, a night after scoring a season-high 52 in a 103-76 victory over Washington.
"You need to play more guys, just because how short the season is, how quick games are coming up," said Budinger, who came off the bench to score 21 in Friday night's rout of Washington. "There are going to be nights where one player doesn't play well, so someone else has to step up. I think our team is doing a good job."
Martin sat out again with inflammation in his right heel, and starting point guard Kyle Lowry had an off night, going 1 for 6 from the floor.
Houston coach Kevin McHale turned to backup point guard Goran Dragic, who scored 16 points and delivered five assists in 27 minutes, though he also had six turnovers.
The longer the Rockets keep winning with their reserves, the better they think they'll be later in the season, because their starters won't be worn down.
"We can win more games, we can rotate more guys and be more fresh in the future," Dragic said.
The Knicks, meanwhile, are desperately looking for solutions after losing for the ninth time in 10 games.
Houston blew open a close game in the third quarter as the Knicks' offense sputtered again without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony.
Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Tyson Chandler added 14 for the Knicks. New York went 5 for 26 from 3-point range a night after shooting an NBA season-high 43 times from beyond the arc in a loss to Miami.
"I think about this stretch right here," Stoudemire said, "it's something that you don't want to get used to."
New York failed to reach 90 points for the fifth time in seven games. The Knicks were playing their fourth game in five nights, but Stoudemire wasn't using fatigue as an excuse.
"There are a lot of teams right now playing the same type of schedule," he said, "and finding ways to win."
The Knicks were heaving up 3s from the start Saturday night, but missed their first three attempts. They led early, though, because the Rockets gave away five turnovers in the first nine minutes.
New York went 1 for 9 from 3-point range in the opening quarter and still led 21-20. Dragic started the second quarter with Houston's first 3-pointer to put the Rockets in front.
Budinger had 11 points in the second quarter, helping Houston build a 53-46 lead at the break. Dalembert's free throw with 6:47 left in the third quarter put Houston ahead 62-52, marking its 13th consecutive game with a double-digit lead.
The Knicks pulled to within six before Houston finished the third quarter with a 12-2 burst fueled by four New York turnovers. Lee sank a 3-pointer, then hit a free throw after a technical foul on Tyson Chandler and the Rockets led 76-60 going into the fourth.
"We have to figure out a way to comprehend and learn from our mistakes," Stoudemire said. "Right now, we're not doing that."
New York coach Mike D'Antoni had Stoudemire on the floor with mostly backups early in the final quarter, and the Rockets safely preserved their lead with a lineup of mostly backups of their own.
Stoudemire was out for the final four minutes, falling two rebounds short of his fourth double-double in five games.
"Amare was really the only scorer we had on the floor," D'Antoni said. "When he gets tired and comes off, we just can't get quality shots."
Notes: The Rockets have won 20 straight games when holding their opponents below 90 points. ... The Rockets continued their longest run of games with a double-digit lead since 2008, when they held double-digit advantages in 20 straight games during a 22-game winning streak. ... Dalembert blocked four shots. He has at least two blocks in six straight games, Houston's longest streak since Yao Ming had multiple blocks in eight consecutive games in March 2009. ... The Knicks are 1-7 against the West. ... New York fell shy of 90 points for the third straight game.
Other NBA Capsules
Iguodala notches triple-double in Sixers' rout of Pistons
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Andre Iguodala recorded the eighth triple-double of his career with 10 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers won their second straight game with a 95-74 victory over the struggling Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Iguodala, who turned 28 on Saturday, received a nice ovation from the crowd when he secured his triple-double with a defensive rebound with 7:34 remaining.
Lou Williams scored 17 points, Elton Brand added 14 and Jrue Holiday had 13 for the Sixers, who improved to 14-6 and 10-2 at home.
The Pistons received a boost with the return of forward Tayshaun Prince, who had missed the previous two games tending to a family matter. Prince only scored six points, however. Greg Monroe led the Pistons with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
WIZARDS 102, BOBCATS 99
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — JaVale McGee scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds as the Washington Wizards defeated the Charlotte Bobcats for the second time in a week.
The matchup between two teams tied for the fewest wins in the NBA came down to the final shot, but Matt Carroll's 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell short. McGee had a chance to seal the game with less than 6 seconds to go, but missed two foul shots. But that was about all McGee didn't do right, as shot 9 of 14 from the field. Like many others this season, McGee exposed Charlotte's poor interior defense, using an effective hook shot in the lane.
Kemba Walker became the third Bobcats player to register a triple-double, recording 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. The 6-foot-1 Walker joined Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw as the only players in franchise history to record such a feat.
BUCKS 100, LAKERS 89
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Drew Gooden scored 23 points and the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks made sure the Lakers' road struggles continued, beating Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant scored 27 for the Lakers, who are 1-7 on the road this season.
Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Dunleavy added 15 points each for the Bucks, who managed to beat the Lakers without two of their best players.
Already scrambling to compensate for the long-term absence of injured center Andrew Bogut, the Bucks found themselves without guard/forward Stephen Jackson on Saturday because of an NBA suspension.
Bryant made six free throws to break Jerry West's franchise record for free throws made. Coming into Saturday's game, Bryant needed three makes to tie West's mark of 7,160.
SUNS 86, GRIZZLIES 84
PHOENIX (AP) — Jared Dudley made two free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining to lift the Phoenix Suns over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Dudley finished with a season-high 20 points, Steve Nash added 21 and Marcin Gortat finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol had 18 points each and Mike Conley added 15 for the Grizzlies, who have dropped three straight after a season-best seven-game winning streak.
The Grizzlies had a chance to win but Conley, coming off a screen by Gasol at the top right of the arc, missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
JAZZ 96, KINGS 93
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 21 points and C.J. Miles added 20 as the Utah Jazz snapped a two-game losing streak, defeating Sacramento and spoiling Jimmer Fredette's return to the state where "Jimmermania" began.
Fredette had a chance to give the Kings the win with 4.2 seconds left, but launched an air-ball 3-pointer. Hayward's free throw sealed it for Utah (11-7).
Tyreke Evans led Sacramento (6-14) with 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting.
Fredette, a former Brigham Young star and last year's national player of the year, finished with 14 points and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. But he was just 5 of 13 overall.
Other NBA News
Bulls, Heat to meet for first time since playoffs
MIAMI (AP) — A Sunday matinee matchup, with the top two teams in the Eastern Conference rekindling their playoff rivalry from a season ago.
Derrick Rose says it's just another game. LeBron James offers a similar sentiment.
Odds are, the past two NBA MVPs aren't being entirely truthful in their analysis.
Rose and the Chicago Bulls visit James and the Miami Heat on Sunday, the first meeting this season between the teams with the East's two best records to date. Chicago won all three regular-season games last season by a combined eight points, before the Heat captured the conference finals in five games and capped that series with a wild comeback on the Bulls' floor.
"The hype is going to be crazy for this game," Rose told reporters in Chicago on Friday night. "Just can't buy into it."
James concurred after the Heat finished practice Saturday in Miami.
"We hope the fans are excited about the game, but as far as the most-hyped game (of the season so far), I don't think so," James said. "We enjoy it. We've got those types of guys who love the big stage, if that's what you want to call it. It's going to be a good game. We're looking forward to the challenge and I know they are as well."
Chicago will leave Miami on Sunday atop the East standings, no matter the outcome, up by either one or three games in the conference race — almost an ancillary point. Instead, Sunday seems almost more about landing the first blow in what could be the start of as many as 11 meetings between the teams this season.
The Heat surely recall losing the three nail-biters against Chicago a year ago, then getting run out of the United Center in Game 1 of the East finals.
The Bulls surely recall that series-opening win was their last against the Heat last season, and how Miami rallied from 12 points down in the last 3 minutes of Game 5 to prevail and earn a spot in the NBA finals.
"It's the team that eliminated us last year," Bulls center Joakim Noah — who famously called Miami "Hollywood as hell" after that playoff series — said Friday night in a video posted to the team's web site. "And everybody will be waiting for that game. It's a game that as soon as that schedule came out, that's definitely the game that you circle, that you come ready for."
Motivation will not be in short supply, on either side.
Healthy bodies, on the Chicago side, may be a bit lacking.
Rose, the reigning MVP, is playing through some nagging issues, including a sore left big toe. Guard Richard Hamilton has always been a strong defender against Miami's Dwyane Wade, but sat out Friday with a bruised right thigh. And forward Luol Deng, who has averaged 18.7 points in his last 10 games against Miami (including playoffs), is saying he does not expect to play for at least another few days because of a torn left wrist ligament.
Plus, it's the start of a nine-game road stretch for Chicago, though this one in Miami is the only one generating any buzz right now.
"Everybody's trying to blow the game up," Rose said. "But we're not worried about that."
The Heat had 15 players available to choose from when setting a lineup Friday, the first time that's happened this season.
Wade returned from a two-week absence because of a sprained right ankle to score 28 points in Miami's 99-89 win over the New York Knicks, adding five steals, four assists and two blocks. James finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, already the fourth time this season he's had that stat line or better.
It didn't take long after Friday's game for the Heat to start talking about Chicago.
"Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference going at it," Wade said. "It's always going to be a great battle when Chicago and the Heat play each other. We've got to get the first one on our home floor."
The teams are different — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said both are better — than what was on the floor in last season's East finals. Chicago clearly upgraded by adding Hamilton, and Miami's rotation got deeper with the signing of Shane Battier.
The rivalry, however, remains.
"It'll be a little different, but the principles are the same," Wade said. "They live on their defense and obviously this year we've been scoring, but our defense is what wins games and hopefully one day wins championships for us."
-- Tim Reynolds
Bobcats' Henderson out after re-aggravating back
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson will sit out Saturday night against the Washington Wizards after re-aggravating his back in Friday night's loss to Philadelphia.
Henderson missed Wednesday night's game against the Wizards, but returned to play against the 76ers. However, coach Paul Silas says he believes Henderson might have injured his back during a fall Friday night.
Matt Carroll gets the start in place of Henderson.
Silas said guard D.J. Augustin and forwards D.J. White and Corey Maggette likely won't play in the team's upcoming four-game road trip due to injuries, but there's a chance guard Reggie Williams will return to practice Monday.
Bucks' Jackson suspended one game for verbal abuse
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The NBA has suspended Milwaukee Bucks guard/forward Stephen Jackson one game for verbal abuse of an official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner in Friday night's loss at Chicago.
The league announced the suspension Saturday afternoon, a few hours before the Bucks were set to play the Los Angeles Lakers in Milwaukee. Jackson will serve his suspension against the Lakers, another setback for a team that already is facing an extended absence by injured center Andrew Bogut, who fractured his ankle earlier this week.
Jackson's incident occurred at the end of the Bucks' 107-100 road loss to the Bulls.
Bulls waive veteran guard James
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls have released veteran guard Mike James, who'd been signed Jan. 11. James appeared in three games for Chicago and averaged four points. He also played this season for Erie in the NBA Development League.
A well-traveled eight-year NBA veteran, James has also played for the Wizards, Heat, Pistons, Celtics, Rockets, Bucks, Raptors, Timberwolves and Hornets.
