Rockets Dominate Hawks; Win Streak Continues

With a 19 point victory over the Atlanta Hawks last night, the scorching hot Houston Rockets have won 10 of their past 11 games. Led by Yao Ming’s 28 points and nine rebounds, Houston cruised to a 108-89 victory, with only two games remaining before the All-Star break.

Houston dominated the match up from the initial jump ball and never looked back. Need proof on the total command that the Rockets held from start to finish? Well, let’s examine the statistics. At one point in the first half, the Rockets had tallied 34 points in the paint, thereby matching Atlanta’s total points at the same moment in time. Contributing to the successful outing was the team’s 54.3 percent field goal shooting and 32 assists notched as a group, both season highs. The Rockets’ supremacy was never more evident than when the game reached the fourth quarter and Houston head coach Rick Adelman benched all of his starters except for Yao, who was subsequently taken out of the game with 10:24 remaining on the clock.

Aiding Yao in the decimation at the Toyota Center on Saturday night were Tracy McGrady’s 15 points and eight assists. Rookie big man Luis Scola scored 14 points and grabbed nine boards as the Rockets won their sixth straight game and currently find themselves in the midst of the franchise’s longest winning streak since the close of the 2004-2005 season.

Photo: flickr user jeffbalke