Brooks 7 for 7 on 3s in Rockets’ win
March 18, 2010
HOUSTON (AP)—Aaron Brooks(notes) set a Houston record by hitting seven 3-pointerswithout a miss and scored 31 points, and the Rockets snapped the MemphisGrizzlies’ seven-game road winning streak with a 107-94 victory Wednesday night.
Luis Scola(notes) scored 20 points, and Kevin Martin(notes) added 18 for the Rockets, whomoved into ninth place in the Western Conference standings—a half-game aheadof Memphis. Houston has won four straight, its longest streak of the season.
Zach Randolph(notes) had 30 points and 15 rebounds for the taller Grizzlies, whoscored 64 points in the paint, a season high for a Houston opponent. The Rocketscountered Memphis’ inside advantage by going 10 for 19 from 3-point range.
Brooks was 11 for 14 from the field overall and scored 31 points for thesecond straight game. Backup forward Jordan Hill(notes) grabbed a career-high ninerebounds for Houston.
Rudy Gay(notes) scored 14 points, and Mike Conley(notes) added 11 for the Grizzlies,who’ve lost eight straight games in Houston.
Memphis led by as many as 11 in the first half, but the Rockets cut thedeficit to 55-53 by the break. Houston gave away 12 turnovers in the first half,but none in the last four minutes to draw closer.
Houston pulled ahead in the third quarter, after the Grizzlies committedfour turnovers in the first 5 minutes. Trevor Ariza’s(notes) turnaround jumper with6:57 left gave the Rockets a 66-59 lead.
Randolph picked up a loose ball and scored with 6:05 left in the thirdquarter, Memphis’ first field goal of the second half. Brooks swishedconsecutive 3s and Scola scored inside late in the quarter to stretch Houston’slead to 10.
The Grizzlies used their size advantage to score 50 points in the lanethrough three quarters, but the Rockets still led by nine heading to the fourth.
Marcus Williams’ 3 in the first minute of the final quarter cut it to 82-76.Scola scored and Shane Battier(notes) swished a 3-pointer from the corner to restorethe double-digit cushion.
Brooks hit his sixth 3 with 6:07 left, tying Battier’s franchise record for3-point tries without a miss, set earlier this season. Brooks’ sank No. 7 with4:07 remaining to send Houston over 100 points.
NOTES: The Rockets shot 53 percent overall (39 of 73) and improved to 13-0when they shoot 50 percent or better. … Scola finished with seven rebounds,snapping his streak of consecutive double-doubles at six. … Memphis C HasheemThabeet(notes) replaced Marc Gasol(notes) (strained neck) in the lineup for the secondstraight game. Coach Lionel Hollins said Gasol is “day to day,” but could’veplayed Wednesday. “I’m not so sure that if this was a heated playoff battle ora playoff game, that he wouldn’t play,” Hollins said. “He’s been banged up inthis area two or three times this year. It’s just best that he not play.”