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Rockets roll past skidding Knicks

Jan 29, 2012 - 5:35 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Chase Budinger had 19 points and Goran Dragic added 16, as the Rockets cruised past the reeling Knicks, 97-84, on Saturday.

Neither team was with its leading scorer. Kevin Martin was out with a foot injury, but the Rockets got 14 points from both Jordan Hill and Courtney Lee to win for the ninth time in 10 games.

"We've got good depth," said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. "Those guys (the bench) can play basketball."

New York, meanwhile, was without Carmelo Anthony for the second straight contest due to a litany of ailments. Amare Stoudemire scored a team-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds and Tyson Chandler added 14 points and 11 boards in the Knicks' third straight loss. They have dropped nine of 10 overall.

"The thing about this stretch right here is it's something you don't want to get used to," said Stoudemire. "Losing is definitely not something that we set out to do, it was a whole different game plan for us this season."

Anthony also missed Friday's 99-89 loss at the Heat while dealing with thumb, wrist and ankle issues. Despite the result, the Knicks were competitive in South Beach due to 18 made three-pointers.

On Saturday, they cooled from beyond, making just 3-of-16 treys in the first half en route to a 53-46 deficit at the break.

The second half was worse. They shot just 33 percent from the field in the third and the Rockets took advantage, closing the quarter with an 11-2 run to take a 75-60 lead into the fourth. Dalembert and Patrick Patterson both had four points during the burst.

The fourth saw more of the same. Budinger scored six points in the quarter and the reserves poured off the Rockets bench as the advantage grew to 21 in the closing minutes.

Game Notes

The Rockets have won five straight over the Knicks...Dalembert finished with seven points and 14 boards...Anthony is averaging 23.6 points per game, while Martin is scoring 20.1 points per game.