Rockets suffer fourth straight loss
Updated: 2007-11-19 10:26
HOUSTON - The explosive Phoenix Suns won their fifth straight game with a dominant 115-105 road victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
 Suns defender Shawn Marion rejects the shot of Rockets center Yao Ming during the first quarter Saturday in Houston. [Agencies] |
Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbose scored 21 points apiece, Stoudemire delivered 13 rebounds, Steve Nash had 19 points and 15 assists and Shawn Marion posted 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Suns raised their record to 8-2.
Grant Hill also had 18 points for the Suns, who beat the Rockets for the seventh time in the last eight meetings.
"We are a very good road team," Nash told reporters.
"We turned the ball over too much and we have to work on it. We don't quite have the same flow (as last season) but we are playing well.
"I never felt the game was that close as we controlled the tempo all game."
The Suns shot 62 percent from the field and were 10-for-19 on three-point shot attempts.
Phoenix beat a Houston team that was dropping its fourth straight game, the last two with Tracy McGrady out of the lineup with an elbow injury.
The Rockets are 11-41 in games McGrady has missed since joining the team before the 2004-05 season.
"I'm really disappointed with our effort defensively in the first half," Houston coach Rick Adelman said.
"They were pretty much doing whatever they wanted to do. They were shooting 73 percent (in the first half) and we were only down by 12."
Luis Scola led the Rockets with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Mike James, McGrady's replacement, had 17 points.
Strong defense by Stoudemire and Marion limited Yao Ming to 12 points on just 4-for-17 shooting.
"It's not just about losing," Yao said.
"The last couple of games were not good losses. In San Antonio it was OK. We gave it our best but tonight we let the Suns shoot a high percentage and we just killed ourselves."
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