Yahoo! Sports

Rockets Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:25:27 PST

With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady out, backups became starters and the Rockets depth seemed tenuous at best.

By the time they took their first injury of the season, with rookie Chase Budinger sitting out against the Lakers with a sprained left ankle, the rotation shrunk to seven players, short by post-season standards, to say nothing of the first week of the season.

With Budinger back on Friday, however, the Rockets got 41 points off the bench, and a clear jolt of energy in the second quarter when Budinger, Carl Landry and Kyle Landry bringing a much-needed jolt of energy.

The Rockets' bench still seems to have little margin for error, at least until McGrady returns and the Rockets add one more offensive option.

NBA roundup: Friday's action on the courts (The Canadian Press)

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:06:00 PST

Scoring points is nothing new for the Toronto Raptors. Preventing them is another story, though they took a step in the right direction Friday night.

Ariza, Landry score 21 each in Rockets' 105-94 win (AP)

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:25:47 PST

The Houston Rockets' balanced scoring was enough to overcome big games by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Trevor Ariza and Carl Landry scored 21 points apiece and the Rockets extended their winning streak over the Oklahoma City franchise to 11 games with a 105-94 victory over the Thunder on Friday night.

Suicide lines: Dumars denies Prince trade rumors; ghost of KG (Yahoo! Sports)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:20:19 PST

Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your pumpkin banana meringue...

Bryant scores 41, Lakers escape in overtime again with 103-102 win over Rockets (The Canadian Press)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:57:00 PST

Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza traded elbows, trash talk and last-minute three-pointers in regulation. In the end, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers got in the last word.

Bryant's 41 points lead Lakers past Rockets in OT (AP)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:00:11 PST

Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza traded elbows, trash talk and last-minute 3-pointers in regulation. In the end, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers got in the last word. Bryant scored 41 points, Andrew Bynum added 17 points and 17 rebounds and the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 103-102 Wednesday night for their second overtime win in two nights.

Budinger leads Rockets over Jazz 113-96 (AP)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:52:42 PST

Missing stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets are counting quite a bit on their 3-point shooting early in the season. So far, it's only gotten them off to a 3-1 start. Rookie Chase Budinger scored a career-high 17 points and was one of four Houston players with multiple 3-pointers as the Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 113-96 on Monday night.

Rookie leads Rockets over Jazz 113-96 (AP)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:01:50 PST

Rookie Chase Budinger scored a career-high 17 points and was one of eight Houston players to score in double figures as the Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 113-96 on Monday night. The Rockets pulled away with a 13-0 run early in the fourth quarter and won in Salt Lake City for the first time since spoiling the Jazz's home opener two years ago.

Game to pay attention to: Rockets vs. Jazz (Yahoo! Sports)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:35:35 PST

Houston (2-1) at Utah (1-1) As you probably could have guessed, the star-less Houston Rockets have started out...

Ariza scores a career-high 33 points for Rockets (AP)

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:37:03 PDT

No Yao Ming. No Tracy McGrady. No problem for the Houston Rockets. Trevor Ariza, making the move from the Lakers this season, scored a career high 33 points, Aaron Brooks added 28 points and the Rockets held on to beat the Portland Trail Blazers at home for the fifth straight time in regular season, 111-107 Saturday night.

Role change could suit Ariza just fine (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:41:00 PDT

Trevor Ariza finds himself in a unique position with the Rockets: They want him to shoot – and keep shooting.

Carmelo Anthony scores 19 of 41 in fourth as Nuggets beat Blazers 97-94 (The Canadian Press)

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:38:40 PDT

PORTLAND, Ore. - Carmelo Anthony almost couldn't miss and Greg Oden missed when it mattered most.

Rockets ride ferry to victory at Golden State (AP)

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:08:59 PDT

Rick Adelman called his team out for being selfish and impatient. Then something clicked in the second half. The Houston Rockets are trying to find themselves without sidelined stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, and Adelman realizes that will be a work in progress. Luis Scola scored 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter and grabbed 11 rebounds, Aaron Brooks had 18 points and 12 assists, and the...

Rockets get to game at Golden State by boat (AP)

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:23:58 PDT

Aaron Brooks never figured he'd take a ferry to a game. Not in the NBA, anyway. The Houston Rockets traveled by boat to their game with Golden State on Wednesday night, plus a bus ride on either side. Some riders thought the Rockets were plainclothes police officers, while others quickly figured out they were a basketball team.

Rockets are game for boat trip to Oakland (Yahoo! Sports)

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:11:00 PDT

One if by land, two if by sea: Here come the Rockets – on a passenger ferry.

Behind the Box Score, where it seems like old times (Yahoo! Sports)

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:00:01 PDT

Boston 95, Cleveland 89 It's only one game, the Cavaliers were up against a Boston team that is a year...

Outlaw sparks Blazers over Rockets 96-87 (AP)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:50:56 PDT

Greg Oden followed his orders, putting defense and rebounding first. Oden scored just two points, a tip with 58 seconds left, but had 12 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Portland Trail Blazers in a 96-87 season-opening victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. "You definitely want a lot more points," Oden said.

Point guard Aaron Brooks is key to Rockets' season (AP)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:17:43 PDT

Aaron Brooks blossomed in the playoffs last year, carrying the Houston Rockets to a second-round Game 7 with quick moves, sharp shooting and smart decisions. The trick now is to play like that for a full season. The speedy 6-foot point guard, drafted by the Rockets in 2007, is a major key to Houston's season with Tracy McGrady's status uncertain and Yao Ming out until next year.