Hornets-Rockets Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Apr 25 2012 3:40PM

The Houston Rockets' dropoff in the stretch run has kept them out of the playoffs for a third straight year. The New Orleans Hornets contributed to that slide.

Visiting New Orleans seeks its eighth victory in 10 meetings with Houston when the teams conclude their seasons Thursday night.

The Rockets (33-32) were in contention for a playoff berth after winning eight of 11 from March 20-April 9. Their season quickly took a turn, though, as a 1-7 record since has put an end to their playoff hopes.

Houston, coming off a 97-88 loss to Miami on Sunday, had a respectable showing under first-year coach Kevin McHale despite injuries to Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry. The players will have missed a combined 45 games after both sit out the finale.

"Failure is a horrible word. I don't like it and I don't consider (the season) a failure," said big man Luis Scola, who leads the team in total points. "Our goal was to make the playoffs and we are hurt because we couldn't qualify. But a failure? No, I don't see it that way."

Rookie Chandler Parsons set a career high with 23 points Sunday, but it proved to be a bittersweet effort for him.

"Fortunately, I hit shots," Parsons said. "My teammates got me open. I just hate losing so at the end it doesn't matter how well I played. A loss is a loss."

Goran Dragic scored 23 points and Chase Budinger added 22, but Parsons went 1 for 9 from the field and scored three points in a 105-99 overtime loss to New Orleans last Thursday. That was Houston's sixth straight defeat.

Eric Gordon scored 27 points for the Hornets in that contest, but he won't play in the finale. Gordon, acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers as the centerpiece of the offseason deal for Chris Paul, averaged 20.6 points but played in only nine games and had arthroscopic knee surgery.

Marco Belinelli had a game-high 23 points in New Orleans' 83-81 win Tuesday, scoring on a goaltending call with 1.5 seconds remaining. The Hornets (21-44) are finishing a rebuilding season strongly, having won six of eight.

"I think it's important to win," Belinelli said. "I don't care if it's one or two more games in the season, lottery pick, I don't care. I just want to get a win. That's the mentality we need to have."

New Orleans hasn't had much trouble earning wins against Houston in recent years, with the victory last week being its seventh in nine meetings.

Four of the last five matchups have been decided by six or fewer points and three have gone to overtime - including the last two.

The Rockets won 90-88 in OT behind 32 points from Martin in the most recent meeting in Houston on Jan. 19. That ended New Orleans' three-game road winning streak in the series.

A Rockets victory Thursday will give them a winning record for each of the last three seasons despite missing the playoffs each time.

Rockets end season with 84-77 win over Hornets

By KRISTIE RIEKEN
Posted Apr 26 2012 11:54PM

HOUSTON (AP) Houston Rockets lottery pick Marcus Morris didn't have the type of rookie season he had hoped for.

The former Kansas star was able to end his disappointing year on a high note after hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer in Houston's 84-77 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday night in the season finale for both teams.

Chase Budinger scored a season-high 27 points for the Rockets.

"I thought Marcus played better," Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "I just think he's going to get better. It was just a rough situation with him not getting to play much. I like him and I think he's got a chance to help us."

Morris, who spent time in the NBA's D-League, appeared in just 16 games and averaged 2.1 points for the Rockets this season.

"It was fun to go out there and play a little bit," said Morris, who finished with seven points, five rebounds, a block and a steal in about 21 minutes. "This was a big learning experience. I didn't get to play much this year. I've got to work hard in the offseason and make sure this doesn't happen again."

The Hornets closed the season in last place in the Southwest Division but finished strong, winning eight of their last 13 games. That was little consolation to New Orleans, which was in the playoffs last season.

"I told our guys: `If you feel relieved right now, then you're not the kind of guys that I want to be around,"' coach Monty Williams said. "I really enjoyed being in the playoffs last year. It's a little tough right now."

Houston finished one spot above New Orleans in the standings with a 34-32 record after a late-season collapse that cost the team a playoff spot.

"There's no way we shouldn't be in the playoffs this weekend, but we're not," McHale said. "That's the bottom line."

The Hornets were led by Jerome Dyson, who had 15 points, and Darryl Watkins, who added 13. Watkins also had three steals to set career highs in both points and steals.

Samuel Dalembert had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Houston, and Courtney Lee had 10 points.

Houston took an 80-77 lead - its first of the game - on the 3-pointer by Morris with 1:18 remaining. A dunk by Budinger had tied it about a minute earlier.

Greg Smith had a follow dunk after the 3-pointer by Morris to push the lead to 82-77 and Goran Dragic added a pair of free throws after a missed 3 by Greivis Vasquez.

The Rockets started the fourth quarter strong, scoring the first eight points to tie the game at 71 with about seven minutes left. The Hornets missed six shots and had three turnovers in that stretch.

Houston opened the second half with a 14-5 run, which included seven straight points from Lee, to tie it at 47-all with 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. Lee and Budinger both hit 3s in that span to help the Rockets.

The Hornets answered with an 11-3 spurt to get back on top 58-50 about three minutes later. Budinger scored Houston's next six points, while New Orleans managed only a basket, to close the gap to four points. But Thomas got hot for the Hornets soon after that, scoring six straight points to make it 68-59 with about two minutes left in the quarter.

A 3-pointer by Vasquez as time expired in the third quarter left New Orleans ahead 71-63 entering the fourth quarter.

New Orleans scored the first nine points of the second quarter to extend its lead to 29-12. The Rockets finally got their offense going after that and had cut the lead to 42-33 at halftime.

The Hornets led 20-12 after the first quarter behind 11 points from Dyson. Houston's 12 first-quarter points and the 33 the team had at the half were both season lows.

Their 26.7 percent first-half field goal percentage was also a season worst.

NOTES: The Rockets honored their all-decade team for the 2000s at halftime. The team included Luis Scola, Steve Francis, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier and Yao Ming. Aside from Scola, Francis was the only player able to attend the game. McGrady's wife CleRenda and Yao's parents Yao Zhi Yuan and Fang Feng Di came to accept the honor on McGrady and Yao's behalf. ... Houston scored a season-high 32 points in the first quarter of its last home game against New Orleans in January. ... The Rockets were 19-0 this season when holding an opponent to below 90 points.

Notebook: Rockets 84, Hornets 77

Posted Thursday April 26, 2012 11:57PM

By Matt Miller, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Chase Budinger scored a season-high 27 points, and the Houston Rockets overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to defeat the New Orleans Hornets 84-77 in the season finale for both teams Thursday at Toyota Center. Samuel Dalembert added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Houston (34-32), which followed a six-game losing streak that knocked it out of playoff contention with two wins in its final three games.

Darryl Watkins led New Orleans (21-45), which has dropped seven of its last nine road games, with a career-high 13 points and 10 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "There's no way we shouldn't be playing in the playoffs this weekend, and we're not. Bottom line. ... There's just a level that [we've] got to understand and [we've] got to come out with that level on the forefront of your mind knowing that it's just going to be a battle."
-- Houston coach Kevin McHale on what his players learned from the late-season collapse that rendered Thursday's game meaningless

THE STAT: The Rockets recorded their franchise-record 31st consecutive victory when limiting an opponent to less than 90 points. Houston went a perfect 19-0 this season when holding opponents below 90.

TURNING POINT: Houston played with little enthusiasm in the early going, allowing an energetic New Orleans roster filled with fringe NBA players who are attempting to land a job for next season to grab a 38-21 lead. But as the Rockets began to increase the tempo and generate some easy baskets -- thanks in part to the strong rebounding of Dalembert (10 first-half rebounds) -- they ripped off a 26-9 run that tied the game at 47 with 8:29 left in the third quarter. The Rockets entered the fourth period trailing 71-63, but they held New Orleans to only one field goal over the final 12 minutes to surge to the victory. After rookie Marcus Morris nailed a 3-pointer to give Houston its first lead of the game 80-77 with 1:18 left to play, he drew a charge on Watkins to seal the deal.

QUOTABLE II: "We were just kind of going through the motions and not playing with intensity. We came in at halftime and really just got on each other and said, 'let's go out there and play hard and play for each other.'"
-- Chase Budinger on what the Rockets needed to climb out of an early 17-point hole

HOT: Budinger, starting in place of injured rookie Chandler Parsons, drained 10 of 18 shot attempts, including a season-high-tying five 3-pointers. His accuracy kept Houston within striking distance as it limped through the first half.

NOT: A 1-for-16 shooting effort in the fourth quarter cost New Orleans a season-ending victory. The Hornets' six-point output set their season low and Houston's opponent franchise low for fourth-quarter scoring.

NOT II: Houston looked quite disinterested throughout the first half, when it settled for several low-percentage jump shots and connected on a season-worst 26.7 percent (12-for-45) of its field-goal attempts.

BAD MOVE: This marks the Rockets third consecutive winning season without a playoff berth. Although Houston recently has been far from a cellar-dwelling franchise, season after season of mediocre basketball has taken its toll on the fan base and the Rockets' profit margin.

NOTABLE: With Thursday's victory, the Rockets became the first NBA team to miss the playoffs in six different winning seasons.

GOOD MOVE: Rather than losing interest down the stretch to improve draft position, the young Hornets relished the opportunity to play winning basketball at the end of the season. After winning six of their last nine games and getting a new owner who appears to be truly committed to the city of New Orleans, the Hornets will certainly head into the offseason with momentum on their side.

QUOTABLE III: "You know it's funny. This year has been more satisfying, because of the growth. I've seen guys, overnight, it just seems like they're getting better right before us. ... Obviously, the playoffs and all that it brought last year -- nothing compares to that. But as far as seeing a team come together and grow, this year's been pretty gratifying."
-- New Orleans coach Monty Williams

NOTABLE II: The Hornets played without Eric Gordon (sore lower back) for the second game in a row. Rookie forward Gustavo Ayon (concussion) also missed Thursday's contest. ... Starters Marcus Camby (back) and Parsons (shoulder) were unavailable for the Rockets. ... New Orleans finished the season tied for the league's third-worst record, which means they could have as high as a 15.6 percent chance to win the NBA draft lottery and this summer's No. 1 pick. ... The winning team has overcome a deficit of at least 13 points in five of the last six meetings between these clubs. ... New Orleans has shot a dismal 65.3 percent (62-for-95) from the charity stripe over its last three games. ... Houston improved to 9-0 this season when its opponent makes less than 40 percent of its field-goal attempts. The Hornets shot 39.7 percent overall. ... The Rockets finished the season 5-24 when trailing after three quarters.

UP NEXT: Thursday's game was the regular-season finale for both the Hornets and Rockets.

• Hornets: Jack, Okafor
• Rockets: Boykins, Camby, Lowry

• Hornets: --
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr., #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 16602
• Duration: 2:09