• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Martin, Rockets cruise past Indiana

Mar 6, 2011 - 4:58 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Kevin Martin scored 20 points and the Houston Rockets got back in the win column with a 112-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Chase Budinger and Kyle Lowry added 18 points apiece and Luis Scola scored 16 for the Rockets, who improved to 6-1 in their last seven games.

They led by as many as 28 points against the Pacers, bouncing back in convincing fashion from a streak-busting loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

"It was a bounce-back win and it gives us confidence to get our swagger back," said Lowry.

Tyler Hansbrough had 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench to lead the Pacers, who have lost five of their last six. Danny Granger added 16 points and Roy Hibbert scored 15.

Martin and Scola scored eight points apiece in the first quarter and Houston set the early tone, pushing its lead to 11 points at 29-18 heading into the second.

The Rockets never allowed Indiana to hold a lead in the game. Their advantage ballooned as high as 23 before halftime when Goran Dragic hit a three-pointer to make it 47-24, capping an 18-4 run.

"They jumped on us early and we never recovered," said Granger. "We need to come out with more energy. We played like a tired team and we need to turn things around."

Houston carried a 65-49 lead into the locker room, out-shooting the Pacers 51-39 percent in the opening 24 minutes.

"We came out with a lot energy from the very start and continued it right on through," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "It was a big game for us being at home against a team that's fighting for the playoffs, too."

The Pacers can score in a hurry, Adelman said, so it was important for the Rockets to set the tone and not get caught on their heels.

"We wanted to keep pushing," he said.

And they did. Already ahead by 19 early in the third quarter, Houston scored nine quick points. Lowry completed a four-point play, Budinger buried a three from the right side and Martin knocked down a jumper to give the Rockets a game-high, 28-point lead at 81-53.

They equaled that advantage four more times in the quarter and carried a 94-68 lead into the fourth, when Adelman rested every starter except Budinger as Houston coasted to the win.

Game Notes

The Pacers finished 0-3 on a three-game road trip, also losing at Oklahoma City on Wednesday and Dallas on Friday during the trek. They return home to play the 76ers on Tuesday, then head back out on the road for three games.