LDN - Sports

Refreshed Rockets rout road-weary Kings

[February 01, 2017] HOUSTON -- Following a long stretch on the road, the Rockets reveled in the comforts of home on Tuesday night. Mercifully, the Kings will soon do the same.

Rockets forward Ryan Anderson recorded his first double-double since Oct. 30 and second overall this season, and the Houston Rockets opened a four-game homestand with an easy 105-83 win over the road-weary Sacramento Kings at Toyota Center.

Anderson finished with a team-high 25 points and grabbed 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 over 31 minutes.

Clint Capela posted a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) while reserves Nene and Eric Gordon combined for 28 points on 12-of-22 shooting. Houston improved to 3-0 against the Kings this season and has won 11 of the last 12 series meetings. After trudging through a 19-point loss at Indiana on Sunday, the Rockets pulsated with energy, particularly on the defensive end of the court.

"It's great to come home to Houston where it's sunshine and 70 degrees after going through snow and stuff," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Spring is around the corner and most times players, when they feel the homestretch coming, they perk back up."

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 as the lethargic Kings shot 34.9 percent and failed to record any fast-break points. Kosta Koufos was the only other starter to reach double digits in scoring with 12 points.

"It's been a tough road trip where a lot of unfortunate things happened," Cousins said. "A lot of things didn't go our way but through it I think we got better as a team.

"Definitely we need a little rest. Not to make excuses but that's the case. Rest up, get home, and we have a good stretch at home so I hope we can turn this thing around."

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 3-for-17 in the period, Houston led 54-35 at the intermission.

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Rockets guard James Harden (13) warms up before a game against the Sacramento Kings at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

"That was the emphasis," Harden said of the defensive energy. "We were struggling defensively so we wanted to get back to it. We wanted to get back to helping each other out, pressuring the basketball, and just doing our basics. And tonight was a really good start for us."

Anderson drilled three 3-pointers during a two-plus minute stretch in the third quarter before Houston extended to an 80-52 lead on a Harden step-back jumper.

The Rockets stretched the lead to 29 in the fourth before easing off the throttle. Considering the Kings' obvious fatigue, Houston could have let up much earlier.

"It's been a heck of a trip for us," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. "I couldn't be prouder of our guys; they're playing their tails off. We ran out of gas there in the last game (Monday night) against Philly but I thought we really ran out of legs tonight."

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.

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