Houston Rockets Blog – Page 93 – NBA Blog

Tracy McGrady likely out week or so

Rockets G Tracy McGrady was evaluated by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, AL this afternoon. Dr. Andrews confirmed the initial medical assessment of Rockets Team Physician Tom Clanton that McGrady is suffering from general soreness in his left knee related to his continuing rehabilitation from off season surgery.

McGrady will continue his current rehab program designed to alleviate the discomfort in his knee. He will likely be out for the next week and will continue to have his playing time restricted upon his return in order to lessen the stress on the injured knee.

Rockets G Brent Barry, who missed the last two games with a calf injury, was seen by Clanton this morning at Memorial Hermann—Texas Medical Center and diagnosed with a small tear in the Plantaris muscle on his right leg. The injury will require him to rest for approximately the next two weeks before resuming his on court practice activities in preparation for a return to game action.

Nov 30: Nuggets 104, Rockets 94

The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony’s right elbow was so sore, he couldn’t shoot, pass or dribble. Heck, he couldn’t even lift his toddler son, Kiyan, after the game. Good thing the Denver Nuggets have Chauncey Billups on their side now. Making up for Anthony’s absence—along with ‘Melo’s usual double-digit performance—Billups had 28 points and 10 assists to lead the Nuggets past Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets, 104-94 on Sunday night… Anthony scored just two points, halting his NBA-best streak of consecutive games in double figures at 222. That honor now goes to LeBron James, who has scored in double figures 134 straight times… Yao led Houston’s balanced production with 18 points but he was just 5-for-12 from the floor as Martin, Nene and Chris Andersen played terrific defense on the big man… Nene had 17 points and 10 boards for the Nuggets, who took a 48-44 halftime lead thanks to two 3-pointers from J.R. Smith in the closing minutes of the first half. Smith, who has been in and out of coach George Karl’s dog house for lapses in play and professionalism, finished with 19 points.

Luther Head sighting

Remember Houston Rockets guard Luther Head? Of course you do. Though, you’ve barely seen him this season, because Head has barely played. But he did big things Saturday. The Houston Chronicle (Jonathan Feigen) reports:

Luther Head, who had played in just five games this season, started in McGrady’s place and then drove the Rockets to a stunning 103-84 rout of the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night at Toyota Center. Head, who had not played since Nov. 15, made seven of 11 shots in scoring 21 points, two more than he had in the season’s first 16 games combined. “You have to sit down and think and keep yourself ready, keep yourself motivated,” Head said of sitting out so many games. “It’s tough, but if that’s what I have to do, it’s what I have to do.” Head started against San Antonio last season and was told he was starting Saturday about 30 minutes before the game. “You get pumped,” he said of his reaction to that news. “It’s, ‘OK, I’m going to get to play tonight. I’m going to get a certain amount of minutes because I’m starting.’ “

This season, Head is only averaging 3.8 points and 1.0 assists in 12.4 minutes. He’s shooting just 31.6%, though that percentage doesn’t mean much considering he’s barely taken any shots.

Nov 29: Rockets 103, Spurs 84

The AP reports: Who needs Tracy McGrady? Seldom-used reserve Luther Head scored 21 points in place of the injured All-Star and the Houston Rockets used balanced scoring to beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-84 on Saturday night. Ron Artest added 16 points and eight rebounds, Yao Ming and Rafer Alston scored 12 points apiece, and Luis Scola added 11 for Houston, which had all five starters in double-figures for just the second time this season. Alston also had six assists, and reserve Shane Battier scored 15 points. The Rockets finished with 22 assists… Tim Duncan shook off a bad start to score 17 points for the Spurs, who had held their last 11 opponents under 100 points. Tony Parker had 15 points and seven assists in his second game and first start since missing nine games with a sprained ankle.

Nov 24: Rockets 107, Heat 98

The AP reports: Ron Artest is difficult to please. After seeing Yao Ming shake off waves of defenders in a 28-point, 12-rebound effort that helped the Houston Rockets beat the Miami Heat 107-98 on Monday night, someone asked Artest to assess his center’s performance. “I thought he could have played better,” Artest said… Artest scored 20 and Rafer Alston added 14 points for Houston, which finished with six players in double figures and outrebounded Miami 51-35. Luis Scola had 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks each scored 11 for the Rockets, who finished off a 3-0 road trip against East teams. Dwyane Wade scored 23 points for Miami, doing so on 7-for-23 shooting, which prompted another quick line from Artest. “He played really bad tonight,” Artest said. “He didn’t play like I’m used to seeing him play.” Mario Chalmers added a career-best 23 points, including five 3-pointers, for the Heat, who also got 17 points from Shawn Marion, 14 from Beasley and a season-high 12 from Yakhouba Diawara.

Nov 22: Rockets 100, Magic 95

The AP reports: Yao Ming, Houston’s 7-foot-6 All-Star, outplayed Dwight Howard in nearly every phase Saturday night, scoring 22 points and taking down 13 rebounds while carrying a tired Houston Rocket team to a 100-95 victory over Howard and the Orlando Magic. The Rockets got 17 points each from Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston, and 11 apiece from Ron Artest and Carl Landry. Houston shot 54 percent in the second half to break open a close contest and win for the fourth time in the last five games… Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 21 points and six assists, and Lewis added 18 points, but the Magic shot only 40.7 percent. Howard had three fouls in the first half and got his fourth less than a minute into the third period in trying to defend Yao. Howard finished with 13 points and nine rebounds… Magic F Hedo Turkoglu sat out the game because of the flu.

Nov 19: Mavs 96, Rockets 86

The AP reports: The way Jason Terry was shooting, the Dallas Mavericks hardly needed Josh Howard on Wednesday night. The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, sorely missed Yao Ming. Terry scored 31 points, and Dirk Nowitzki added 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Mavericks’ 96-86 victory over the Rockets. Howard, the Mavs’ second-leading scorer, was inactive because of a left ankle injury. Yao, Houston’s top scorer, missed the game because of a sore left foot… Jason Kidd had eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Mavericks, who have won three in a row and 11 of the last 14 meetings with their in-state division rivals. Tracy McGrady scored 16 points and Ron Artest added 14 for the Rockets, who shot 37 percent (29-of-78) from the field, including 6-for-25 from 3-point range. McGrady and Artest, both nursing injuries, each went 5-for-14 from the field.

Yao Ming out tonight

Houston Rockets C Yao Ming will not play tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. Yao is being held out for precautionary reasons after leaving Monday night’s game at Oklahoma City in the fourth quarter due to soreness in his left foot. Diagnostic tests conducted yesterday at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center revealed no structural issues in his foot. He is listed as day-to-day.

Nov 17: Rockets 100, Thunder 89

The AP reports: Tracy McGrady feels like he’s back to square one with a troublesome left knee that gave out on him again. At least his Houston Rockets seem able to pick up the slack if he’s going to be sidelined. Luis Scola scored 23 points, Yao Ming added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Houston made a second-half surge without its injured seven-time All-Star to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-89 on Monday night. Offseason pickup Ron Artest also had an injury scare, but the Rockets still had enough firepower to hand the tumbling Thunder their eighth straight loss… People sprain their ankles all the time,” said Artest, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds. “It’s not broke.” … Durant had 29 points to lead the Thunder, Jeff Green scored 16 and Westbrook added 14 points.

Nov 15: Rockets 91, Hornets 82

The AP reports: The Houston Rockets refused to let a big fourth-quarter lead slip away two nights in a row. Yao Ming scored 21 points, Tracy McGrady added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the Rockets bottled up Chris Paul in a 91-82 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday. Paul, who came in averaging 22 points, went 2-of-10 from the field and made all eight free throws to score 12. He had 12 assists, but the Hornets shot 41 percent (31-for-76) and were outrebounded 41-35. Luis Scola added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who led by 12 at the half and shot 53 percent (8-for-15) in the third quarter to take a 70-53 lead to the fourth. The Hornets couldn’t crack Houston’s double-digit lead until David West sank a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left… West scored 18 and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Hornets. Tyson Chandler added 16 points and Devin Brown scored 13.