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Saturday March 7, 2009 1:08 AM

Rockets Outlast Suns In A Thriller

Brooks nets game-winner as Houston notches 11th straight victory at home

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - The game was billed as a battle of big men. But while Yao and Shaq had their names on the marquee, Brooks vs. Nash turned into the real main event, giving the fans all they could ask for as the two diminutive point guards stole the show and became the true centers of attention.

Give this one to Brooks by way of unanimous decision, though Nash barely misfired on what would have been the knockout blow. The end result on the judges’ scorecards: Houston 116 – Phoenix 112 in a match that won’t soon be topped at Toyota Center.

“Both of them, Brooks and Nash, really played great games,” said Luis Scola who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. “It was a really fun game to watch and I'm really happy that we got the win.”

Appropriately enough on a night when he tallied a career-high 30 points, Brooks delivered the game-winner too, scoring on a driving layup with seven seconds left to put the Rockets ahead for good. But as great as that play was, it never would have even been possible if not for the savvy timeout called by Shane Battier several seconds earlier, when Ron Artest was trapped along the baseline with no options available except to jack up an ill-advised shot.

“I knew Ron was in a tough spot and he had a look in his eye like he was ready to fire that shot,” explained Battier. “So I thought, ‘Um, We can probably get a better shot than that.’ So being the team accountant, I used one of our timeouts.”

Coach Rick Adelman put the ball in Brooks’ hands from there, calling for his point guard to execute the high screen-and-roll with Yao Ming which had been so effective all game long. Sure enough, Brooks came off the pick, found himself matched up with O’Neal, and had no problem beating the big man to the basket for a layup to put Houston up 114-112.

But his heroics nearly went for naught when Nash, who had already scored an astounding 29 second-half points on 13-16 shooting, nearly answered. Phoenix went to their bread and butter - the high screen and roll as well - and Nash got a clean look on a three-pointer just over the outstretched arms of Yao. But as 18,045 fans held their breath, the shot came up just short, bouncing off the rim and into the arms of Artest who knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the win.

“It felt good,” lamented Nash afterward. “I had a good look at it, it was straight on and I just had a go at it.”

“[Brooks] was great. He killed us and made a couple big plays at the end of the game, and also had an overall terrific game. He’s really turning into a terrific guard and I think the Rockets have a guy who can handle this position for a long time.”

The Rockets certainly hope that’s the case. As for Brooks, he said he was simply trying to keep up with the incredible pace set by his counterpart.

“I didn’t want Steve to just to score on me,” he said. “I wanted to make him play defense. There’s no way you can get Nash tired. He’s a phenomenal athlete conditioning-wise, so I just wanted to go at him like he was going at me and luckily we got the job done.”

Leave it to the smallest guy on the floor to come up huge on a night built around two of the game’s great heavyweights. But as Brooks showed, little guys can pack quite a punch, too.

And 1’s: In a rare postgame scene, Steve Nash came into the home team’s locker room to share a few words with Yao. After their conversation, the Suns’ point guard shared some of his thoughts on Houston’s All-Star center with the assembled media.

“I went to China for our Yao-Nash charity basketball game and it was a lot of fun for me to experience his country and try to help some children there who have been under-served. I think Yao’s been an incredible figure for their country, and I thought if I gave him a little support we could really do some wonderful things in his community.

“He’s obviously a great player, but also a fantastic person. He’s truly a great global ambassador for the league; not just for the Houston Rockets but for the NBA and the game of basketball and humanity, so it’s fantastic to have somebody with that kind of presence.”

QUOTES

RICK ADELMAN

It was a big win for us. They came in here really needing a win and we did, too. It was a heck of a game. Nash really got it going in the second half and we were able to survive.

(Brooks): Everybody had a tough time defensively – not just Aaron. We tried to do the same thing they did. Nash is as good as anybody in the league. He’s as good as Chris Paul. He gets around that pick-and-roll, he’s going to make something happen and find the right people. But Aaron responded and made a huge basket at the end.

They were attacking us with Shaq setting the pick against Yao and we were trying to do the same thing with Yao setting the pick against Shaq and Nash. So I think it was just a matter of we finally got Steve tired and he missed the last one.

(on Rockets fins shot): We only had seven seconds. Shane made a great call when Ron picked the ball up, by calling the timeout because we were in trouble. That was a really good call. We just wanted Aaron going to the basket and see if we could get anything out of it.

(what do you do when both teams know exactly what the other is going to do?): You just have to keep working at it. We switched Shane on Nash in the last couple minutes thinking maybe he could get through and be a little bit bigger and bother his shot a little bit more. The only other thing you can think of is go to a zone, but we were ahead at that time and we just felt that if we got one or two stops it would be enough. What are you going to do? He misses that three, but then it bounces in the air and goes in. That’s just the way he was going. But our guys stayed with it and pulled it out.

(on the final defensive possession): I probably made a mistake there. We were talking about going small to try and switch everything. The only problem with that is then you have to put a smaller guy on Shaq, he rolls to the basket, and we’d tried to foul him a couple times and he finished everything.

Yao did get up on that last shot and got a hand up, but we probably should have taken him out and switched all the pick-and-rolls. But we were only up two, so it makes it tough because if he gets going against somebody else besides a guard, he’s going to get to the basket and maybe find a three-point shot. You pick your poison. And fortunately, we got fortunate at the end and he missed the shot.

(what were you thinking as shot was in the air?): I thought it looked short, but I thought the one before that looked short (laughs). I was holding my breath.

SHANE BATTIER

(calling timeout with 7 seconds left): I knew Ron was in a tough spot and he had a look in his eye like he was ready to fire that shot, so I thought, ‘Meh, We can probably get a better shot than that.’ So being the team accountant, I used one of our timeouts.

(defending Nash at the end): I was just trying to throw him off a little bit. He put on an amazing shooting performance. I think he’s the best shooter in the NBA. He really got it going there and we just tried to give him a different look and give him something to think about. It worked just barely. Barely.

(final defensive possession): I was thrown for a loop. The original play was to sub Von in for Yao. Ron was going to guard Shaq because we knew it was going to be a Shaq-Nash pick-and-roll, and our plan was going to be to switch the pick-and-roll. As soon as I get hit by Shaq, I switched and, to my surprise, I saw Yao – I didn’t know Coach had subbed Yao back in the game. At that point I probably said something you can’t print and as I watched the ball in the air… Luckily Yao got his hand up and Nash missed a great look – and he doesn’t miss many of those. It’s not a shot I want to give him anytime soon.

(on Aaron Brooks): He’s growing. He’s going through growing pains both good and bad. When he plays like tonight and he’s got confidence, he’s going to do big things in this league. It was great to see him bounce back from a tough performance in Utah.

(on the win): It’s a nice win, especially coming off the game in Utah. There was a lot of pressure tonight. This was a big game because we win the season series against them and really put them in a tough spot with 20 games to go. So on a lot of levels, this win means a lot.

AARON BROOKS

(On the game) “It was a playoff atmosphere. I think Steve Nash played excellent today. We came back at him as a team and we did a good job in getting the win”

(On the last shot that put the Rockets up for good) “The shot clock was running down. Coach called for a rip screen and I wanted to get Shaq in it, but he was a little bit too close so I barely got past him a little bit and laid it up. I was relieved.”

It feels good. I think as a team we just really needed this victory. It was a big game. The Suns were playing pretty good basketball. And in the West when you play teams in the playoff hunt, you have to really bring it to them, so we did a good job of coming back at them.

(on playing against Nash): I didn’t want him just to score on me. I wanted to make him play defense. There’s no way you can get Nash tired. He’s a phenomenal athlete conditioning-wise, so I just wanted to go at him like he was going at me and luckily we got the job done.

(on getting banged up late): I think it was on the play when I almost ran out of bounds and threw it to Yao. I think Shaq kneed me. His finger could probably give me a thigh bruise, but it was pretty painful. But I’m fine.

RON ARTEST

(On the importance of the win after the loss at Utah) “It was a great win for us tonight. Phoenix is a great team. Aaron played through adversity today. I was real proud of him. I was proud of the way the team played in the 4th quarter when the game was tied. We stayed together and we believed in each other and pulled it out. It was a good win for us for it to be a close game.”

(On the offensive execution in the last two minutes) “Yeah, Aaron gets in there for a basket and we were just focused because anybody was ready to win the game.. They were paying so much attention to Yao that it opened up everything for us.”

(on Aaron Brooks): He’s struggled the last couple games and he showed that if he can stay focused, and not get too high or too low, and believe in himself, he’ll have games like this. He was waiting for a breakout game like this. When you’re in a slump, nobody knows when that breakout game is going to come. You just have to stay confident and believe in himself and it happened.

YAO MING

(On defending Steve Nash's last shot attempt) “I just wanted to get up on him and try to change his shot. Hopefully I can block it or change the arc.”

(On the play of Aaron Brooks) “He played great tonight. Against another All-Star point guard, Steve Nash, he really stepped up and made him (Nash) play defense on the pick-and-roll. I think he played with a lot of energy tonight.”

(On the play of Steve Nash in the 2nd half) “Steve played an unbelievable 2nd half. He was almost making every shot. Maybe I didn't do my job too well because maybe I stayed on Shaq too close. The last play I just kept telling myself I need to stay up. He had made five or six shots in a row and we needed to make him pass the ball.”

LUIS SCOLA

(On the play of Aaron Brooks and Steve Nash) “Both of them, Brooks and Nash, really played great games. Brooks hit the game winner. It was a really fun game to watch and I'm really happy that we got the win.”

(On the Rockets playing small against the Suns) “We tried to play a little bit small except for when we were looking for Yao. It was pretty much like a battle of stars in this game.”

SUNS COACH ALVIN GENTRY

(on the game) “We got the pace of the game where we wanted it – up-tempo. Houston likes to play that way too. We seem to be snake bitten with the way things have gone at the end of games lately. Steve (Nash) got a great look at a three, but it didn’t go. I thought we came up with stops at the end to get it tied. They made tough shots and I thought we played great defense.”

(on the Rockets play) “Artest has hit big shots down the stretch before. He’s been a go to guy and he is not afraid to take shots. They are a big, strong team. We battled like crazy. I was disappointed with the loss but I loved our effort.”

(on Aaron Brooks) “We were in love with Aaron when he came out in the draft and the Rockets took him right ahead of us. He’s a terrific player. I like his toughness and that he can drive to the basket and is a great outside shooter.”

STEVE NASH

(on Aaron Brooks): He was great. He killed us and made a couple big plays at the end of the game, and also had an overall terrific game. He’s really turning into a terrific guard and I think the Rockets have a guy who can handle this position for a long time.

(on his final missed three-pointer) “It felt good. I had a good look at it, it was straight on and didn’t know if I would get a better look and I kept going to the basket. I just had a go at it.”

(on first half vs. second half performance) “To be honest, I was struggling with my ankle in the first half. I just couldn’t get any lift off. I was moving poorly in the second half and I was just tried to fight for it. I made little adjustments shooting the ball, to be a little more deliberate because I didn’t have that pop. I hung in there.”

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL

(on playing against Yao) “It’s always like that with Yao and me. True warriors playing basketball. He is a great player and he always plays tough against me.”

(on the Rockets) “I like our effort but you have to give Houston credit for the win. Houston played great and Brooks and Artest had big games for them.”

JASON RICHARDSON

(on the game) “We gave it our all. Houston played a great game and Aaron Brooks had a phenomenal game. Houston played up to our tempo. They ran with us and they hit their shots.”

LEANDRO BARBOSA

(on the game) “It was a tough game and we really needed to win. Brooks played really, really well and it was his shots that killed us.”

(on Nash’s 32 points) “It is normal for us to see him play that way. In the second half he played real tough and we needed everything he gave us.”

NOTES

Tonight’s attendance of 18,045 marks the 17th sellout of the season at Toyota Center .

Houston recorded a thrilling 116-112 win tonight in securing the three-game season series with Phoenix . The Rockets also own a three-game winning streak over the Suns.

The Rockets have captured the last 11 outings at Toyota Center (1/31/09-3/6/09), which extends their season-best home winning streak.

Tonight’s game marked Houston ’s 40th victory of the season, which marked the sixth fastest to 40 wins in team history (40-23).

Aaron Brooks notched a career-high 30 points (4-7 3FG, 4-4 FT) tonight, while setting a career high in field goals made (11) and matching his career best in field goal attempts (20). It marked the eighth 20-point performance of his career and his first 30-point outing.

Ron Artest had 21 points (7-15 FG) tonight, including nine points in the fourth quarter. Artest, who connected on a pair of shots from downtown (2-6 3FG), has now made at least two 3-pointers in each of the last 12 games.

Carl Landry added 16 points (6-7 FG, 4-8 FT) off the bench tonight, but had his streak of consecutive free throws made snapped at 27 in a row in the first quarter. His streak began in the second quarter at Milwaukee (2/9/09). Landry is the fourth Rockets player this season to record a streak of at least 20 straight free throws made (Aaron Brooks, Luis Scola and Yao Ming).

Yao Ming registered 15 points (6-16 FG), 13 rebounds, a season-high-tying six assists and two blocked shots tonight. He also handed out a team-high six assists at Utah (3/4/09), which tied for the second-highest assist total of his career. Yao also has at least one blocked shots in each of the last 11 games. Yao’s best such streak this season stands at 14 straight games (11/26/08-12/23/08) with at least one block.

Luis Scola had 15 points (6-9 FG) and 11 rebounds tonight. Scola has now posted a double-double in nine of his last 11 games. The Rockets are now 11-2 when Yao Ming and Scola each notch a double-double in the same contest.

Steve Nash recorded a season-high 32 points (14-27 FG, 4-6 3FG) and 13 assists tonight. Nash, who was 1-of-10 from the field in the first half, came back to score 29 second-half points (13-17 FG, 3-4 3FG) and dish out nine assists over the final two quarters. It marked the best half of scoring by an opponent this season, surpassing the previous high of 24 points done by two prior opponents (last by Chauncey Billups in second quarter on 11/30/08 at Denver ).

Leandro Barbosa finished with 24 points (8-15 FG, 4-8 3FG, 4-4 FT) and three assists tonight. He has now scored 20 or more points in 11 of his last 30 games.

Matt Barnes added 17 points (4-10 3FG) and nine boards. Barnes has made at least four 3-pointers in three of the last four games.

Shaquille O’Neal, who celebrated his 37th birthday tonight, finished with 17 points (8-12 FG), five rebounds and two blocks.

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