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The Rockets outscored the Hornets 29-17 in the 4th quarter last night to surge to victory. Kevin Martin led the way for the Rockets last night with 33 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 blocked shot. Kyle Lowry also had a solid game with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists last night. Courtney Lee pitched in with 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal in only 22 minutes on the court. The Rockets are now 30-31 on the year.
The Houston Rockets felt better about dealing Shane Battier due to the improved play of 22-year old Chase Budinger who has replaced him in the starting lineup. In his last two games, Budinger is averaging 31.5 minutes, 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He is shooting 17 of 29 (58.6%) from the floor and 7 of 12 (58.3%) from three point range in those two games. Budinger has now played in 57 games (1 start) for the Rockets so far this year and he is averaging 18.6 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
The Rockets shot 51.2% from the floor last night and it was a big reason for the win. Kevin Martin was on fire as he led the way for the Rockets with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Chase Budinger (27 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 34 minutes) and Luis Scola (23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal) also had big games for the Rockets last night. Kyle Lowry and Courtney Lee pitched in with 10 points apiece in this game. The Rockets are now 29-31 on the year.
The Houston Rockets have bought out 29-year old forward Jared Jeffries. Jeffries played in 18 games (0 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 7.7 minutes, 1.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He played in 36 games (0 starts) in parts of two years with the Rockets and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 3.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Jeffries will likely get snapped up right away by a team like the Knicks, but he was just taking up roster space with the Rockets.
The Rockets have dealt 26-year old point guard Aaron Brooks to the Phoenix Suns for 24-year old point guard Goran Dragic and a first round pick. Brooks played in 34 games (7 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 23.9 minutes 11.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He was only shooting 34.6% from the floor and 28.4% from the three point line this season and he’s way better than that. Brooks’ biggest problem this season was getting hurt early in the year, because Kyle Lowry took his starting job over while he was out of action. Brooks played in 247 games (124 starts) in his 4 years with the Rockets in which he averaged 25.7 minutes, 12.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Goran Dragic will be Kyle Lowry’s new caddy. Dragic played in 48 games (2 starts) for the Suns this season and he was averaging 17.8 minutes, 7.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He has now played in 183 games (5 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 16.5 minutes, 6.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Dragic is more suited for backup duty than Brooks is, plus the Rockets netted another first round pick in this deal. I like this trade from the Rockets’ side of things.