Refreshed Rockets rout road-weary Kings
HOUSTON -- Ryan Anderson recorded his second double-double of the season and the Houston Rockets opened a four-game homestand with a 105-83 victory over the road-weary Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night at Toyota Center.
Anderson finished with a team-high 25 points plus 11 rebounds as the Rockets (36-16) appeared refreshed in their return from a five-game road trip. James Harden added 10 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Clint Capela posted a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) and reserves Nene and Eric Gordon combined for 28 points on 12 of 22 shooting as Houston improved to 3-0 against the Kings this season. The Rockets have won 11 of the past 12 meetings in the series.
Sacramento (19-30) played its eighth road game in 12 days and looked the part. All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins needed 16 shots to post 16 points while the lethargic Kings shot 34.9 percent overall and did not record any fast-break points.
The Kings hung tough for most of the first quarter, seizing a 21-20 lead on a Garrett Temple 3 at the 5:26 mark. Anderson followed with a 3 that gave the Rockets the lead for good as Sacramento went more than five minutes without a point prior to Matt Barnes' corner 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left in the period.
Behind Nene and Gordon, the Rockets stretched a 29-24 lead entering the second quarter to 19 points on a Nene pick-and-roll layup with 4:27 left in the half. Houston added only two additional baskets in the second quarter, but with the Kings shooting just 3-for-17 in the period, the Rockets led 54-35 at the break.
Anderson drilled three 3-pointers during a two-plus minute stretch in the third quarter before Houston extended its lead to 28 at 80-52 lead on a Harden step-back jumper.
The Rockets stretched that lead to 29 in the fourth before easing off the throttle.
NOTES: Rockets C Clint Capela made his 32nd start on the season as Houston coach Mike D'Antoni continues to adjust his center rotation based on matchups. Rockets C Nene (rest) did not play at Indiana on Sunday, the finale of a five-game road trip, and Houston fell to 0-3 this month with Nene missing from the rotation. ... The Kings capped their season-long eight-game road trip on Tuesday, a schedule that featured three back-to-backs. Kings C DeMarcus Cousins appeared undaunted by the difficult stretch, averaging 31.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists over the first seven games of the roadie. ... Kings C Willie Cauley-Stein posted three double-digit scoring games over the first seven games of the road trip, eclipsing his previous season total of just two. His increased productivity is tied to G Ty Lawson, who is especially adept at feeding Cauley-Stein at the rim.