Houston Hangs at Home

It’s never a good sign when you trail the Washington Wizards at halftime and with less than a minute left. Fortunately for the Houston Rockets, rookie Chase Budinger forced the go-ahead bucket with 28 seconds remaining in Tuesday’s Toyota Center meeting with the Eastern conference opponents. Budinger banked a jump shot and converted a pair of free throws to help Houston escape with a 98-94 victory over struggling Washington. The Wizards lost for a franchise record 16th straight time and remain winless in the month of March. They say April is the cruelest month, but March has been very cruel to the Wizards. Neither team has much to play for at this point in the Spring. The Rockets are all but eliminated from the playoffs, but continue to ride out a season of disappointment under Coach Rick Andelman. There’s no need to make excuses for why Houston won’t be partaking in any post-season parities. The Rockets simply faded down the stretch and couldn’t compensate or counter the critical injury cracks on the roster.
Budinger blossomed brilliantly for Houston. The Rockets entered Tuesday’s contest in the mires of a four game losing streak. Budinger infused the offense, dropping in 24 points. The first year player out of Arizona collected six rebounds and was 5-of-6 from the free throw stripe. Former Villanova stud, Kyle Lowry, bucketed 17 and Luis Scola added 16 for the Rockets. Aaron Brooks and Scola dominated the boards with eight rebounds each, but the Wizards still outrebounded Houston by six. Mike Miller was massive for Washington. Miller’s 12 rebounds and four assists led all Wizards. The nine year veteran was only outscored by Andray Blatche’s 31 points. The 37-36 Rockets, trying to finish the season on the winning side, exchanged leads with the visitors several times during the first half. James Singleton starred on defense for the Wizards, with three blocked shots. Washington finished with nine team blocks. The Wizards held a 30-27 lead after 12 minutes and upped it to five points at halftime.
Houston knotted the game at 80-80 with 8:30 left but the Wizards drained six straight points. Washington’s largest advantage reached six with just under seven minutes on the clock as JaVale McGee pulled up a jumper for a 86¬-80 Wizards edge. With Kevin Martin out of the lineup with a sore shoulder for Houston, the Rockets looked to other role players. The absence of Shane Battier and Jared Jefferies off the bench has hampered Houston. It was refreshing to see Budinger step up. Brooks helped carry Houston with 11 assists. Jermaine Taylor also made his presence felt with 14 points in the win. Houston trailed by five points at the four minute mark, but Scola notched to quick baskets to cut the lead to one point. After Budinger tied it up at 88-88, Washington’s Earl Boykins was fouled. Boykins sank two free throws and missed a 3-point chance with two minutes remaining. Lowry tied the game at 92 with a jump shot runner from the lane. The Rockets point guard was whistled for palming the ball, but Washington couldn’t take advantage. Blatche missed a fade-away attempt with 33.5 seconds. Houston followed a timeout with the go-ahead shot by Budinger from the top of the key. The rookie planted two from the line into the net and Lowry sealed the win with two more foul shots. The Rockets are a formidable squad. It’s a shame they will miss basketball’s second season this year, but there’s always next year. Budinger and Martin show promise in the backcourt, and the development of Jordan Hill should boost next year’s Rockets rotation. The return of Yao Ming is sure to spark something in this Houston team.

Parting Points: Song of the day- “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain