HOUSTON -- Dwight Howard didnt think he was aggressive enough in Houstons two losses to Sacramento this season and vowed to attack from the beginning when the Rockets faced the Kings on Wednesday night.
[b]Saints Jerseys 2020[/b] . Howards plan worked. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds by halftime on the way to a 26-point night to help the Rockets cruise to their third straight win, a 119-98 victory over the Kings. Howard also had 13 rebounds and four blocks and James Harden added 24 points and nine assists before the pair went to the bench for the fourth quarter. "The last couple of games against those guys, I didnt come out aggressive like I needed to on both ends of the floor," Howard said. "Ive been looking at some film and I wanted to get off to a better start. Its not just about scoring. Its defence and things like that." The Rockets took the lead midway through the first quarter and didnt trail again. The Kings struggled after losing top scorers Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins to injuries before halftime. Gay, who tied a career high with 41 points on Tuesday night, injured his left Achilles tendon in the first quarter and Cousins sprained his left ankle in the second. Sacramento coach Mike Malone didnt have any more information on the injuries after the game and said that theyd know more on Thursday. "It was a big loss to lose both of those guys in the first half," Malone said. "Unfortunately, those other guys that were able to play didnt respond. We got our (tails) kicked tonight and were a no-excuse team ... so the fact that we guarded no one tonight has nothing to do with them not being able to play in the second half." Derrick Williams scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and Isaiah Thomas added 20 points for the Kings. Houston led by 15 points entering the fourth quarter and padded its lead with Harden and Howard relaxing on the bench in their warm-up shirts. They used a 15-3 spurt in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the fourth to make it 103-76. Sacramento missed eight shots, including three layups in that span, and its only points came on free throws by Williams. The Rockets were up by nine points early in the third quarter before scoring 10 straight points to stretch their advantage to 65-46. Chandler Parsons and Patrick Beverley both had 3-pointers in that stretch. Jimmer Fredette made a 3-pointer that cut Houstons lead to 11 points with about eight minutes left in the second quarter. Cousins went down on Sacramentos next possession when he was knocked to the court on a hard foul by Beverley as he drove to the basket. Beverley stood over him for a second while he was down and Beverley received a technical. Cousins entered the game leading the team in scoring (23.1) and rebounding (11.7). He scored just two points before getting hurt, snapping a streak of 30 straight games with at least 10 points. The Rockets used a 6-2 spurt after that to extend their lead to 44-29. Sacramento got within eight two times after that in the second quarter, but Howard scored six points with two alley-oop dunks in the last 1 1/2 minutes of the first half to help the Rockets lead 55-44 at the break. The Kings were up by five points early before Houston used a 14-5 run to take a 21-17 lead with about three minutes left in the first quarter. Gay, who entered the game averaging 20.2 points, was injured at the beginning of that run, which was powered by eight points from Harden. Houston coach Kevin McHale was impressed with Hardens work on Wednesday night. "He started getting to the rim," McHale said. "I thought we were settling for a lot and playing East and West. We told them to get to the hole and put pressure on the basket and they did." Gay has started all 21 games for the Kings since being traded from Toronto on Dec. 9. Aaron Gray received a flagrant foul soon after that when he grabbed Harden as he was heading to the basket. Harden made both free throws as part of an 8-2 run that put the Rockets up 29-22 at the end of the first. Omri Casspi added 20 points and tied a career-high with 12 rebounds and Parsons added 19 points with 10 rebounds. NOTES: Houstons Terrence Jones missed his second straight game with a deep thigh bruise and Ronnie Brewer sat out with a sore calf. ... Sacramentos Quincy Acy and Harden both received technical fouls on the same play in the third quarter. ... Thomas has made at least one 3-pointer in 35 straight games, tying the fourth-longest streak in franchise history.
[b]New Orleans Saints Gear[/b] . Head coach Randy Carlyle confirmed the news after the Leafs morning skate on Monday. Kozun was hurt during Friday nights home game against the Red Wings and did not make the return trip to Detroit for Saturdays game.
[b]New Orleans Saints Shirts[/b] . This was one of them. Omar Infante homered and tied a career high with six RBIs to carry the Kansas City Royals over the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 on Sunday.Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Monta Ellis scored 15 of his 30 points in the final quarter, and the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 106-102 victory over the Raptors to snap Torontos six-game winning streak. Chandler Parsons contributed 16 points, Dirk Nowitzki had 15 and Al-Farouq Aminu scored 14 for the Mavericks, who have won two straight and eight of their last 10 games. Kyle Lowry had 25 points and Amir Johnson contributed 20 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who fell to 13-3 on the season. Torontos leading scorer, DeMar DeRozan, exited the game early in the third quarter with a left groin strain. DeRozan, who entered Friday leading the Raptors with 20.7 points a game, was held scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting from the field. Ellis 3-pointer widened Dallas lead to 97-83 with 2:21 left, but the Raptors made a furious charge and closed within 104-102 on Lowrys bank shot with 9,9 seconds remaining. Devin Harris then sealed the outcome at the foul line for Dallas by making both attemptss with 6.
[b]New Orleans Saints Pro Shop[/b]. seconds left. Lowry scored 13 points in the final quarter to help the Raptors stay close. Toronto scored the games first 10 points, but trailed 26-21 after 12 minutes. Dallas led 48-43 at halftime and was in front 69-54 following an Ellis 3- pointer with 3:24 left in the third. Earlier in the period, DeRozan dribbled past Nowitzki on the right side of the lane but had his left leg slip, causing him to fall to the floor with 8:23 remaining in the frame. DeRozan was writhing in pain before eventually getting to his feet and walked off the court gingerly. The Mavs led 71-64 going to the final quarter. Game Notes Nowitzki went 1-of-7 from 3-point range, but became the 23rd player in NBA history with 1,500 career triples ... Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle earned his 300th victory with Dallas. He joined Don Nelson (339-251) and Dick Motta (329-409) as the only other Mavs coaches to reach the mark ... Lou Williams scored 16 points for Toronto. ' ' '
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