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Rockets hold off Hornets for 18th straight win
Houston 106, New Orleans 96
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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON -- During the team's morning shootaround, Tracy McGrady received word that the Rockets could move into third place in the Western Conference with a win over the New Orleans Hornets.
That's all he needed to hear.
"When I heard that this morning, I was like 'OK, let's get it done'," McGrady said.
He made sure of it.
Behind a vintage performance from the star shooting guard, the Rockets extended their historic winning streak to 18 games with a thrilling 106-96 victory over the New Orleans Hornets at Toyota Center.
McGrady poured in 41 points and dished out nine assists as Houston (42-20) became only the seventh team in NBA history to pile up at least 18 wins in a row. The run is the longest since the Los Angeles Lakers took 19 straight during the 1999-2000 season.
Besides joining more elite company in the NBA record books, the Rockets continued their climb in the West. The Rockets moved into third with New Orleans and remain a mere two games behind the Lakers for the top spot in the conference.
What was the difference in win No. 18? McGrady.
"We have Tracy McGrady," Rockets point guard Rafer Alston said. "It didn't matter what they did. When they tried doubling him, we were knocking down threes and if they tried single coverage, then that's a no-no."
McGrady was in a rhythm from start to finish. The Rockets' star swished 17 of 27 shots and hit a trio of Houston's season-high 14 three pointers.
During the fourth quarter, McGrady scored 10 points and handed out three assists to ensure that the Hornets wouldn't recover behind a Chris Paul-led rally. The Hornets' All-Star point guard scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, helping New Orleans slice what was once as large as a 17-point Houston lead to nine points.
But that's when McGrady ended New Orleans' chances. The Rockets star scored six points in the last two minutes to answer every drive by Paul.
Stunningly, McGrady played 48 minutes -- not missing a single second of the action.
"He was ready to go this morning," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "He's been very motivated and we needed a big game out of him. At the end, I told him, 'I'd take you out with 14 seconds to go, but I think you should have a 48 there in the stats. Then, I'll give you tomorrow off.'"
The Rockets gained control of the game with a spectacular stretch of play in the second quarter.
With the Hornets holding a 28-26 advantage with just under nine minutes left in the half, the Rockets bolted to a 14-0 run. McGrady threw down an alley-oop pass from Alston and then capped off the burst by stroking his second three-pointer. Just like that, the Rockets were off and running.
The Hornets managed to claw back as Peja Stojakovic and Paul hit back-to-back three pointers. But apparently, Houston didn't mind getting into a three point shooting contest. Over a two-minute stretch, the teams combined to make nine threes in a row.
By the time the period was over, the Rockets stroked nine three-pointers and piled up a season-high 39 points in the second quarter alone. Houston went into the break with a 59-46 lead.
"Both teams were really filling it up," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "It was an entertaining second quarter from the fans' perspective, but as a defensive-minded guy, it didn't make me feel too good when they were hitting all those threes. But we settled in and played better defense and played them a little better in the second half."
McGrady took care of the rest.
Behind the star's performance, the Rockets won their ninth straight game by double figures -- one shy of an NBA record -- and stretched their winning streak at home to a Toyota Center-record 12 in a row.
But the biggest thing on McGrady's mind? Climbing into third.
"I understood how big this game was," McGrady said. "Coach told us at the end of shootaround that if we were to win this game, it would move us to the third spot and I told him that there was extra motivation right there. I was just ready to go."
