Rockets at Nets
The Houston Rockets made another big statement with a rout of the bumbling Cleveland Cavaliers in a nationally televised game Saturday night. They will try to stay hot when they move to a smaller stage and take on the host Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
The Rockets made 19 3-pointers - six by Chris Paul - in the 120-88 win over the Cavaliers, their fourth straight triumph and 11th in the last 13 games. "It makes it easier," coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters of the perimeter attack. "Once you see the ball go in a couple of times everybody gets feeling good about it." Houston leads the NBA by a wide margin with 43 3-point attempts per game and Brooklyn ranks second at 33.9. The Nets were just 9-for-29 from beyond the arc and were dominated on the glass 54-36 in a 109-94 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday to fall to 1-2 on their four-game homestand.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (38-13): Paul had 22 points and 11 assists and Ryan Anderson added 21 points on Saturday as Houston had no issues overcoming an off night for the NBA's leading scorer, James Harden (16 points, 1-of-11 from 3-point range). "That's the benefit of having a team like we have," Anderson told the Houston Chronicle. "We have guys who were brought here for a reason. We have guys that know their role. (Saturday), we executed, played really well, played our roles the best we can. It shows how good we can be." Harden had 37 points and 10 rebounds while Paul finished with four points and a season-high 14 assists in a 117-103 win over the Nets at home earlier this season.
ABOUT THE NETS (19-35): Brooklyn lost six of its last seven, was held under 100 points in five of the last six outings and was outrebounded by 18 in back-to-back games. "Rebounding is a collective thing. It's a team effort, and it's part of that focus and compete level for sure," guard Spencer Dinwiddie told reporters. “We have to play better team defense, we have to finish our team defense with rebounds, and do a better job collectively and individually." The team's leading rebounder with 6.5 per game is forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who has missed five games in a row with a groin injury and was already ruled out for this one.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets SG Caris LeVert is 9-for-12 from the floor in two games since returning from a groin issue.
2. Rockets SG Eric Gordon (back) is expected to return after a two-game absence.
3. Houston won three straight matchups and can sweep the season series for the eighth time in the past 12 years.