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Rockets roll to another win over New Jersey

Feb 27, 2011 - 5:09 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Kevin Martin finished with a game-high 30 points as the Houston Rockets continued their dominance of New Jersey, topping the Nets, 123-108, at Toyota Center.

Chase Budinger added 27 points while Luis Scola contributed 23 points and seven rebounds for Houston, which has won three in a row since returning from the All-Star break. Kyle Lowry and Courtney Lee both finished with 10 points for the victors.

"It was a good win," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "We came out with a lot of energy and we defended them better after the second quarter. We were kind of up and down the whole first quarter, but offensively we were pretty good all night long."

The Rockets have won nine straight against the Nets and 13 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 21 points while Deron Williams added 15 points and a season-high 17 assists in his second game with New Jersey. Ben Uzoh added a season-high 18 points in a reserve role for the Nets, who have lost five straight and eight of their last ten games.

"Our defense has taken a significant step backwards," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "We have to get on the same page as a team. We don't have chemistry as our guys haven't played together."

Scola and Budinger finished with 10 and nine points, respectively, in the first quarter as the Rockets jumped out to an early 37-33 lead after the fast paced opening 12 minutes.

Budinger, who moved into the starting lineup since the departure of Shane Battier to Memphis, came alive in the second quarter. He led all scorers with 10 points, making 3-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from the line. The Rockets shot 10-of-21 from the field, widening their lead to 71-58 entering the locker room.

Martin added 10 in the third quarter as the Rockets came one-point shy of eclipsing the 100-point mark, taking a 99-82 lead into the final stanza. Uzoh scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth, however, the Rockets early lead was too much to overcome as Houston cruised to the convincing victory.

Game Notes

The Nets capped a three-game road trip 0-3...New Jersey will return home for a seven-game homestand that will feature visits from Phoenix, Toronto, Golden State, LA Clippers, Boston and Chicago...Williams' 17 assists set a Toyota Center record...The Rockets are now 16-13 at home this season.