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Quick stats: 20 fast break points, doubling the Knicks total.  Season-high 28 assists, 2:1 assist to turnover ratio.  Made nine more free throws than New York; 26-17.  Defense held Knicks to 3-16 from downtown.  Kevin Martin had a game-high 28 points on 18 shots in 42 minutes.  Luis Scola added 24 points.  Courtney Lee, the only other player in double-figures for the Rockets, led the bench with 12 points in 21 minutes.  Rockets four-man 2nd unit: +37.  Knicks four-man 2nd unit: -24.  In his first start of the season, Kyle Lowry played 36 minutes and produced a stat line of: 7-7-6-3, and one technical foul.  19,763 were in attendance at Madison Square Garden.  Rockets are now 3-6.

Kevin Martin: “It was a good road trip for us, we’re going through a lot right now. Two of our top four players are out right now and we thought we were going to have them beginning of the year and find chemistry early, but now we’re going to have to rely on whoever we have at the moment.”

Shane Battier: “Welcome to my life the last five years as a member of the Houston Rockets, we have not been blessed with health. So you get a certain sort of mentality when you come here and you learn real quick that there’s not a lot of excuses or pity when guys get injured or go down. Next man in line and you better perform.”

Rick Adelman: “I knew I was going to put Chuck on him, I was just biding my time as long as we had the lead. We didn’t have to worry about doubling him. Chuck stays in front of him. He’s such a good defender. A lot of people don’t realize how good he is. Tonight, he showed it again.

“We’re not giving him any help. He was playing him straight up. He does a good job moving his feet. Amar’e really hurts you. He gets by you on that first dribble. He gets to the line. He makes shots. Chuck wasn’t allowing that.”

Stoudemire had 22 points in his 22 minutes before “The Chuckwagon” checked in five minutes into the second half. He had three the rest of the way.

Chuck Hayes: “I’m on an island, me and him, we don’t want to double-team because they have such good shooters. We want to play him man up and make it hard for him.”

The defense has arrived; in the form of a 6-foot-6, 238-pound powerhouse.

Luis Scola: “It was great, Chuck did a great job on (Stoudemire). He was hurting us. It is great to have a guy like that. Stoudemire is a tough guy to stop. When you do, you have a big part of the game won.

“We finished a good trip, we started seeing all bad things. Now we’re going back home with two wins in a row, at least a little bit better of a record, and a chance to play at home playing better and feeling better. This is what it is all about. I think we got better the last two games.”

Other news: Chase Budinger (sprained left ankle) did not play.  Consider him day-to-day.

Unsung hero: Ish Smith. 12 minutes, 5 assists, +7.  Sensational performance leading the Rockets fast break attack with a trio of tantalizing dimes in the 2nd quarter.   Ish Continues to give solid effort, playing exceptionally well in the absence of Aaron Brooks.

Dishing the rock: This Rockets team can pass.  From Ish Smith to Kyle Lowry from Chuck Hayes to Brad Miller, to Luis Scola.  Whether it be the back court or the front court, the quality of wizardry never ceases to amaze me.  Hayes had a between-the-legs helper and Ish issued three straight gifts in the open court amidst an 8-0 run in the 2nd quarter with the 2nd group.  1. Found Jordan Hill on a nice pass with Hill trailing on the break for a dunk.  2. Alley-oop to Courtney Lee for a one-handed throw down.  3. Precise bounce pass resulting in another Hill jam.  The whole team runs the floor and passes the ball well -and it’s fun to watch their up-tempo style of play.

Movement without the ball: “I think that can be a key to our offense, movement without the ball. Brad’s a great passer. I cut and took two guys with me. It opens up the other person. You might not be the guy that receives the ball, but you help a teammate get an open shot.” -Kevin Martin, the team’s leading scorer, at 24.1 PPG.

Up next: Tuesday – Home against Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and the Central Division leading 5-3 Chicago Bulls.

Wednesday – At Oklahoma City to face the 5-4 Thunder.