3* - Houston Rockets (-5?)
Philly?s three game winning streak came to an end in Dallas on Monday night when they ran into a red hot Mavericks team that took care of business by handing them a 104-92 loss. Prior to that, the Sixers had beaten Cleveland, Milwaukee and Chicago but had lost six of their eight previous games before going on the mini run. Granted, the Cavs are slumping, the Bucks are average and the Bulls are in last place, but Philly was somehow able to win those three games despite the fact that they have allowed their opponents to score an average of 108.2 points in their last five games and every team that they have played in their last eight games has scored at least 100 points.
Although they lost two games to the Suns in the month of February, the Rockets have to feel pretty good about their recent performance as they won ten games during the month and lost only three. Tracy McGrady appears to have put his back problems behind him and when he is on the court, the Rockets are definitely a different team. In the three games prior to Houston?s loss against the Suns on Monday night, Yao Ming had averaged 26.7 points, made 55.3% of his shots and averaged 15.7 rebounds as the Rockets beat the Clippers, Warriors and Magic, earning Yao the Western Conference Player of the Week honors. Against Phoenix he added another game to that run, scoring 27 points with 18 rebounds and five assists on the way to four consecutive double-doubles. Although McGrady was off his game in Phoenix, scoring just 13 points, he posted 19.4 points per game in February and including Howard and Wesley, the Rockets have four players averaging double figures over their last four games.
Houston has beaten Philadelphia the last six times these two teams have met, dating back more than four years. In their last meeting on February 6th in Philly, Yao scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Houston held the Sixers to nine points in the second quarter and did not allow a single field goal for over 15 minutes in the second half. The Rockets have been especially effective on defense against the 76?ers by collapsing in the middle and forcing them to shoot outside, which is not Philadelphia's strength. The Sixers have been outrebounded in each of their last eight games and with Samuel Dalembert still out with a sprained ankle, look for Yao to dominate on the boards at both ends of the court.
Philly?s three game winning streak came to an end in Dallas on Monday night when they ran into a red hot Mavericks team that took care of business by handing them a 104-92 loss. Prior to that, the Sixers had beaten Cleveland, Milwaukee and Chicago but had lost six of their eight previous games before going on the mini run. Granted, the Cavs are slumping, the Bucks are average and the Bulls are in last place, but Philly was somehow able to win those three games despite the fact that they have allowed their opponents to score an average of 108.2 points in their last five games and every team that they have played in their last eight games has scored at least 100 points.
Although they lost two games to the Suns in the month of February, the Rockets have to feel pretty good about their recent performance as they won ten games during the month and lost only three. Tracy McGrady appears to have put his back problems behind him and when he is on the court, the Rockets are definitely a different team. In the three games prior to Houston?s loss against the Suns on Monday night, Yao Ming had averaged 26.7 points, made 55.3% of his shots and averaged 15.7 rebounds as the Rockets beat the Clippers, Warriors and Magic, earning Yao the Western Conference Player of the Week honors. Against Phoenix he added another game to that run, scoring 27 points with 18 rebounds and five assists on the way to four consecutive double-doubles. Although McGrady was off his game in Phoenix, scoring just 13 points, he posted 19.4 points per game in February and including Howard and Wesley, the Rockets have four players averaging double figures over their last four games.
Houston has beaten Philadelphia the last six times these two teams have met, dating back more than four years. In their last meeting on February 6th in Philly, Yao scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Houston held the Sixers to nine points in the second quarter and did not allow a single field goal for over 15 minutes in the second half. The Rockets have been especially effective on defense against the 76?ers by collapsing in the middle and forcing them to shoot outside, which is not Philadelphia's strength. The Sixers have been outrebounded in each of their last eight games and with Samuel Dalembert still out with a sprained ankle, look for Yao to dominate on the boards at both ends of the court.
