subject: Rockets Got Their First Victory [print this page] Rockets Got Their First Victory Rockets Got Their First Victory
Rockets Got Their First Victory
After lost their first five games, the Rockets got their first victory in this season at last. Luis Scola of Argentina scored 24 points and Kevin Martin added 21 and to help the Houston Rockets win their first game of the season with a 120-94 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
In this game, Yao Ming played under a strict time limit for recovering from his foot surgery. He got 17 points and 4 rebounds in 16 minutes and 55 seconds. Rockets' point guard, Aaron Brooks, absented from this game because of his ankle injury.
1. Yao Ming got two fouls in the first quarter and Rockets established an advantage of 12 scores over Timberwolves.
Yao Ming got an blocked shot by Darko Milicic in Rockets' first attack. After this attack, rockets missed six shots in a row. It was not until Shane Battier's shooting that Rocket got their first scores. On the contrast, Timberwolves also got one hit in their first four shots. With the free throw of Kevin Martin and Shane Battier, Rockets established their advantages over Timberwolves gradually in the posterior period of the first quarter.
2. Yao Ming got 11 points in the second quarter and Rockets stole the lead with 23 points.
Ishmael Smith got the first triples in the second quarter. With the continuing help of Yao Ming and Kevin Martin, Rockets finished 60-37 at the end of the first half.
3. Luis Scola gained 13 points and Rockets took a 97-67 lead.
Both Rockets and Timberwolves kept efficient operation in confrontation in the earlier third quarter. In tis quarter, Luis Scola got 13 points by his perimeter shoot and free throw. What's more, he converted a three-point play in the case of losing his balance. Although Yao Ming did not gain any points in the third quarter, he succeeded in showing a little shot fake onto Darko Milicic. After their efficient attack in the earlier third quarter, Timberwolves went onto less efficient because the wolves fought alone. After this quarter, Rockets stole the lead with 97-67 and the game lost its suspended interest.
4. Rockets trained their substitutes in the last quarter and won their fist victory.
When the games came into the last quarter, Yao Ming, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin had been sitting on the sidelines of the rest. In this quarter, Rockets started to training their substitutes and kept their advantages over Timberwolves until the games over. When the final whistle sounded, Rockets gained the victory with 120-94.
