Rockets win 19th in a row to close in on West leaders
HOUSTON -- Houston Coach Rick Adelman has started reminding his team what’s at stake beyond preserving one of the NBA’s all-time winning streaks.
That seems to be the only pep talk the Rockets need.
Tracy McGrady scored 19 points in less than three quarters and Houston beat the cold-shooting New Jersey Nets, 91-73, Monday night for its 19th straight victory, matching the third-longest winning streak in league history.
The Rockets won their 10th straight game by double digits, tying an NBA record last set by the Nets in 2004. They also won their 13th in a row at the Toyota Center, the team’s longest home-court streak since the 1985-86 team won 20 consecutive games at the Summit.
Most important, the Rockets closed to within one game of the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the top seeding in the Western Conference. And that’s the number Adelman keeps emphasizing.
“I told them [Monday] they have a double whammy going,” Adelman said. “Not only do you have a chance to do something remarkable and get this streak going and keep it going, but also, every time you win, you keep shortening the season and you keep that lead that you have over other people and you’re moving up the standings.”
Houston, also 7-0 since Yao Ming’s season-ending foot surgery, can match the second-longest streak in NBA history with a win at Atlanta on Wednesday. The Milwaukee Bucks won 20 in a row during the 1970-71 season.
The Rockets led, 46-28, at halftime and, 70-47, through three quarters and held the Nets to 30% shooting (24 of 79) to match the league’s longest run of consecutive wins since the 1999-2000 Lakers won 19 in a row on their way to the first of three straight championships.
“It’s impressive, and we keep adding on games,” point guard Rafer Alston said. “It’s fantastic to have your name mentioned and your team mentioned with some of the best teams, some of the best players to ever play the game. It says a lot about our ballclub.”
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Streaking ahead
The Houston Rockets matched the third-longest winning streak in NBA history:
*--* Team Dates 33 Los Angeles Lakers Nov. 5, 1971-Jan. 7, 1972 20 Milwaukee Bucks Feb. 6-March 8, 1971 19 Houston Rockets Jan. 29-Current 19 Los Angeles Lakers Feb. 4-March 13, 2000 *--*
Source: Associated Press
Los Angeles Times
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