Kings Suffer Another Blowout Against Rockets
HOUSTON (AP) -- Luis Scola had 23 points and 10 rebounds in three quarters, and the Houston Rockets cruised to 118-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
The Rockets used a big run late in the first half to take over and outscored Sacramento 33-24 in the third quarter to put away the game.
Scola was key in Houston's third-quarter dominance, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and making both of his free throws.
Houston's Jordan Hill provided the highlight of the game in the fourth quarter when he took a nice pass from Chase Budinger in the lane and finished with a monster one-handed dunk over Samuel Dalembert, who fouled him. Hill high-fived a fan before heading to the free throw line, where he made the foul shot to make it 100-80 with nine minutes remaining.
The Kings played without Tyreke Evans, who sat out with a sore left foot. They were led by DeMarcus Cousins and former Rockets forward Carl Landry, who had 17 points apiece.
Scola went to the bench with about 11 minutes remaining and Houston leading 95-76 and didn't return.
The Rockets got 18 points from Budinger, and Kevin Martin added 14 against his former team.
Kyle Lowry knocked down a 3-pointer as time expired in the third quarter to leave the score 91-72 entering the last period.
The Kings scored seven points in a row to get within 75-63 with about three minutes left in the third quarter after a sloppy stretch for the Rockets, where they had a couple of turnovers and missed two 3-pointers. Houston got back on track after that, going on a 7-2 run to make it 82-65.
The Rockets were ahead by 10 points at halftime and scored the first eight of the third quarter, four points apiece by Scola and Chuck Hayes, to stretch the lead to 66-48.
The game was tied at 44 with four minutes remaining in the second quarter before Houston went on a 14-4 run that featured 3-pointers by Martin and Budinger to take a 58-48 lead into halftime. The Kings had three turnovers and missed a pair of layups in that span.
The Rockets took a 37-33 lead with a 6-0 run early in the second quarter. Beno Udrih tied it at 44 with a reverse layup before Houston began its run.
NOTES: Former Rockets star and Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon watched the game from a courtside seat. ... Houston's Aaron Brooks and Yao Ming remain out with ankle injuries. There is no timetable for their return. ... Houston has won six straight at home.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
