Nearly a month into the regular season, it had become clear enough that Houston had a strong starting five. What it had yet to prove, however, was that its bench could come in and keep the good vibes going. Far too often early on, the Rockets would see their starters build a lead only to then watch it rapidly slip away when the reserves entered the game. The inevitable result: an increased workload for the club’s big guns and increasing signs of fatigue late in games; an unsettling combination during a compressed schedule that had already promised to test each and every team’s physical limits.
There are signs, however, that a new trend is beginning to emerge in Houston. Saturday night, the Rockets’ second unit played a pivotal part in a huge OT win over the Spurs. Just 48 hours later, they were even more emphatic in announcing their arrival, sparking a spectacular 19-1 second-half run that helped lift Houston to a 107-92 victory over Minnesota.
Make no mistake, Houston’s starting five once again did yeoman’s work in making sure the team stretched its win streak to seven games. Kyle Lowry contributed to his All-Star campaign with his second career triple-double; an event that was a long time coming given his near nightly flirtation with that particular statistical benchmark this season. Lowry finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and clearly got the better of his high-profile individual matchup with Minnesota’s rookie sensation Ricky Rubio. Kevin Martin was similarly massive, scoring a team-high 31 points on just 21 shots from the field. Samuel Dalembert did the dirty work down low collecting 15 rebounds. And Luis Scola and Chandler Parsons each made key contributions with their endless energy and intelligent play.
But this game truly turned late in the third quarter when the Timberwolves appeared ready to potentially run the Rockets out of the gym. With an offense suddenly stagnant and handicapped by a rash of turnovers, Houston saw its double-digit lead completely erased as Minnesota, led by a brilliant night from Kevin Love (39 points, 12 rebounds), assumed a 70-65 lead. Shortly thereafter, Rockets Head Coach Kevin McHale made the critical decision to go small, pairing key reserves Goran Dragic, Patrick Patterson and Courtney Lee with starters Lowry and Parsons. A similar lineup had paid dividends against the Spurs Saturday night. What followed, however, was above and beyond anything even the ever-optimistic McHale could have hoped to see.
Put simply, that quintet positively wreaked havoc in the best possible way. They locked in defensively, got stops, forced turnovers by the bushel and, as a result, raced out in transition, transforming Houston’s short-lived deficit into a commanding lead the Rockets would not come close to relinquishing. They were devastatingly destructive to the Timberwolves’ attack, employing the sort of eye-opening defense Houston has yearned to possess and partner with its already potent offense.
All told, it was an extraordinarily impressive display from Houston’s second unit. Lee and Dragic were relentless in their harassing and hounding of Minnesota’s perimeter players while Patterson showed flashes of the form that made him such a handful for opponents last season. Slowly but surely his athleticism is returning and its impact is colossal when paired with his intelligent all-around game – a fact to which the Timberwolves can now attest.
To that end, it was telling when former Rockets coach and Minnesota’s current bench boss Rick Adelman praised Houston for having a “deep team” after the game. The Rockets came into the season believing that to be true; now they’re actually proving it. And the results speak for themselves.
Kyle Lowry Quotes
On the 19-1 run by the Rockets....
"We pushed the tempo back and keep it going and made some shoots to finish it off strong."
On Kevin Martin first half scoring...
"When he get in one of those mood and rhythms, he is one of those guys that is hard to stop. Once he got it going we happily gave it to him and let him keep going."
On getting the win...
"It is always a good team win when there is balance scoring and everyone is contributing to a win like that, especially coming up against a tough minded team with an all-star and a great coach. To come up here and get a win it was definitely important away from home.
Source: Nba.com