Cavaliers 95 - 110 Rockets
Final
  for this game

Martin nets season-high 40, Rockets top Cavs

Dec 12, 2010 - 8:53 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Kevin Martin scored a season-high 40 points to power the Houston Rockets to a 110-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Toyota Center.

Luis Scola finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Chase Budinger provided 16 points off the bench for the Rockets, who rebounded from Friday's loss at Milwaukee.

"I think we flew around better, our energy level picked up, our concentration picked up," said Rockets forward Shane Battier, who scored 16 points.

Martin made 12 of his 19 shots from the field, in addition to 13-of-14 from the foul line.

Antawn Jamison's season-high 24 points led Cleveland, which dropped its seventh consecutive game.

Martin exploded for 22 points in the first quarter, making 8-of-10 shots and leading Houston to a 37-29 advantage.

"I think the one thing he did tonight, is he came out at the very start, he was very aggressive," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "It wasn't just he made threes, he got fouls. When he passed the ball early in the game he made hard cuts...that's something he's just got to continue to do."

Two minutes into the second quarter, Budinger drilled a three to expand the Rockets' lead to 42-32, but they couldn't pull away, and carried a 66-58 lead into the break.

Martin scored 32 points in the first two quarters, but defense ultimately allowed Houston to come away with a double-digit win.

The Rockets limited Cleveland to 37 points in the second half on 15-of-40 shooting. That wasn't the type of success the Cavaliers needed to have, especially while they were already behind.

"It's just hard, especially being in the situation that we're in and trying to play catchup throughout the whole game," Jamison said. "Just makes it a little bit more difficult."

Houston's offense also dropped off, but the Rockets ended the third quarter with a 10-0 run to take control. Martin's layup with 30.2 seconds remaining ended the burst, giving Houston a 92-75 lead as the game progressed to the fourth. The Rockets led by double digits the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Houston held a 48-33 rebounding advantage...Mo Williams finished with 18 points and nine assists for the Cavaliers.






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