Another day, another line in the Rockets’ record book.
This time, however, Aaron Brooks did much more than hit one 3-pointer to keep his streak going. He hit every 3 he took, scoring 31 points for a second consecutive game to lead the Rockets to a 107-94 victory over Memphis on Wednesday night, giving them an eighth consecutive win over the Grizzlies in Houston and a season-best four-game winning streak.
Brooks, the NBA’s 3-point leader, pushed his league-leading and franchise-record streak of games with at least one trey made to 39. Having broken Luther Head’s mark of 37 in the Rockets’ last game, Brooks kept shooting 3s and hitting them, going 7-for-7 to break Shane Battier’s franchise record for most 3-pointers made without a miss in a game.
“You know when you get a guy like AB, the way he was rolling tonight, you give him the ball and get out of his way,” guard Kyle Lowry said. “Tonight was one of those nights that was a special night.”
After bad shooting and waves of turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, the Rockets got untracked, hitting 62.9 percent of their second-half shots, their best second-half shooting this season.
“It was a weird experience,” Brooks said. “I don’t think I ever shot 7-for-7 in a game or in a pick-up game. Some of the shots were off-balance. I don’t know — it felt pretty good.
“Shane passed it to me, so I’m sorry. Sorry, Shane.”
Battier seemed all right with having his record broken just four weeks after he set it by going 6-for-6 from long range in Milwaukee.
“That’s what I try to do; I try to raise the bar,” Battier said. “If people want to match that level … that’s called being an inspirational leader. I’m constantly trying to set trends. The blazer came first. Then the mustache came next. Then the 3-point record. My blocks. I’m trying to be a trendsetter and a leader.”
Playing to their strengths
Brooks and Lowry fouled out a second consecutive point guard, with Mike Conley playing just 29 minutes. It demonstrated a significant difference between the teams this season.
With the Rockets averaging nearly twice as many 3-pointers per game as the Grizzlies and Memphis’ size protecting the paint, the Rockets made 10 of 19 shots from beyond the arc. The Grizzlies, whose 64 points in the paint were the most against the Rockets this season, went 1-of-7 on 3s and have hit just two 3-pointers in three games against the Rockets this season.
For much of the first half, however, the Rockets were stopping themselves.
“This is a team that pressures you a lot,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “We thought they were going to have a hard time guarding us if we moved the ball.”
Assists record next?
In the first 15 minutes, the Rockets had 10 turnovers, with the Grizzlies leading by as many as 11 points. After two more Rockets turnovers, the Grizzlies held a 10-point lead with 3½ minutes remaining in the half. The Rockets, however, got a huge lift off the bench from Jordan Hill, who had nine points and seven of his nine rebounds in the second quarter.
Luis Scola had 20 points to post his fifth consecutive game of at least 20. Kevin Martin added 18.
Once they ran the offense, the Rockets had a third consecutive game of making at least 50 percent of their shots, hitting 53.4 percent.
When Brooks hit his final 3, the Rockets had their largest lead at 13 points, and he had a record for the second game in a row and a plan.
“Let’s go,” he said, “for the most assists in a game next.”
Via: Chron.com
