Rockets cruise past Pacers

0 CommentsPrint E-mail shanghaidaily, March 7, 2011
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The Houston Rockets maintained their recent momentum and edged closer to a playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 112-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Houston on Saturday.

The Rockets (32-32) are in 11th place but have won six of their past seven and trail eighth-placed Memphis by 2-1/2 games.

"Good basketball teams play the best basketball in the months of March and April," Rockets forward Kevin Martin told reporters. "For us, where we're at in the standings, we need to have a great March."

The Pacers (27-35) have lost three in a row and are losing their grip on the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Elsewhere in the National Basketball Association on Saturday, it was: Nets 137, Raptors 136 (in triple overtime); Wizards 103, Timberwolves 96; Jazz 109, Kings 102 (in OT); Trail Blazers 93, Bobcats 69; and Clippers 100, Nuggets 94.

In Houston, the Rockets seized control of the game early in the first quarter with a 16-6 run and extended their lead to 16 points at 65-49 by halftime.

Martin led a balanced Rockets offense with 20 points, and Chase Budinger and Kyle Lowry each added 18. Tyler Hansbrough came off the bench to lead the Pacers with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

In London, New Jersey made it two wins in a row over Toronto, edging a triple-overtime thriller in the second of back-to-back regular season NBA games in Europe on Saturday.

The Nets took the honors in the NBA's regular season European debut on Friday with a 116-103 victory.

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