| McGrady, James Lift Rockets Over Kings Authored by Jason Linnard - March 13, 2005 - 7:35 pm
The Kings jumped out early, but that didn’t last long.
The Rockets defeated the Kings 111-96 on Sunday, giving them 4 straight wins, each against top 5 Western Conference teams. They are 3-0 on their current 4-game road trip.
The Rockets, led by Tracy McGrady’s 22 point performance, scored 66 points in the first half, their second straight game with at least 60 in the first half.
Sacramento was led by Peja Stojakovic and former Rocket Cuttino Mobley, who scored 21 and 20 respectively.
Sacramento came into the game winning 3 straight, but the Rockets gained the lead with a minute left in the 1st quarter and kept it. By halftime, the Rockets had built a 14 point lead.
The Kings entered the final quarter trailing by 12, but closed the gap to 6 with a dunk by Brian Skinner. The score was 101-95 with under 4 minutes to play.
The Rockets then began a 7-1 run, capped by a shot-clock beating 3-pointer by Mike James, putting them up 108-95, with 2 minutes remaining.
Mike James has done nothing but magic since being acquired from Milwaukee. He is averaging 18 points and 5.1 assists in a Rockets uniform. He was recently moved to the bench following Bobby Sura’s return from injury.
Sura continues to struggle after returning. He failed to score in the 20 minutes he played. Against Phoenix on Friday, he scored only 2 points.
The Kings were without starting Center Brad Miller again, this time with a broken fibula, an injury expected to keep him out 4-6 weeks. |
