Sun 25 Nov 2007
McGrady scores 35 as Rockets slam Nuggets 109-81
Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Main
????????????????????????????????????????????
?Houston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady had his best game since his return from an elbow injury on November 14.? He and center Yao Ming combined for 57 points as the Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 109-81 at Houston.
To illustrate how badly the Nuggets were dominated, they missed 13 of their first 18 shots - this coming from a team ranked 3rd in league scoring.? Houston initially had a 24-8 lead; however, later in the first quarter, Houston head coach Rick Adelman utilized a smaller, quicker lineup, with guards Mike James and rarely used Steve Francis in the backcourt.? It paid dividends as Francis sank 2 free throws tipped in a missed shot as Houston increased their lead to 34-13.
The 2nd quarter wasn’t much better for the Nuggets as Houston held a 58-40 at halftime.? The Rockets’ lead increased to 27 in the 3rd quarter as Denver continued to miss shot after shot.? Denver’s frustration began to show when Rockets rookie F Luis Scola grabbed 3 offensive rebounds on one play before Denver center Marcus Camby shoved Scola to the ground, earning him a flagrant foul; Scola made the free throw to make the lead for Houston 80-56.?
Houston’s McGrady sat out the first 4 minutes of the 4th quarter, then returned to convert a 3-point play with 6:28 left in the game to make the Rockets lead 95-71.? Both teams started emptying their benches shortly thereafter.? Houston’s high scorer was McGrady with 35 points; Yao added 22 with 13 rebounds while F Shane Battier only scored 8 but grabbed 12 boards.
Denver was led by G Allen Iverson with 18 points, while F Carmelo Anthony chipped in with 17.? Houston (7-7) next travels west to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers Monday, while Denver (9-5) returns home to host the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
