Hawks 109 - 114 Rockets
Final
  for this game

Hawks tangle with Rockets in south Texas

Apr 3, 2011 - 2:56 PM (Sports Network) - Time is running out on Houston as it attempts to make a run at the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Rockets are three games shy of New Orleans with just six games to play as they get ready to host the Atlanta Hawks tonight.

Houston kept its slim postseason hopes alive Friday when Kevin Martin scored nine of his 33 points in overtime as the Rockets pulled away for a 119-114 victory over San Antonio, handing the Spurs their sixth straight loss.

Kyle Lowry knocked down a step-back jumper with 3.9 seconds left in regulation to tie the game for Houston, while Manu Ginobili took too much time on a drive at the other end for slumping San Antonio.

Luis Scola had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won six straight at home and seven of nine overall.

"I just can't say enough about our team. In my mind, that might be the best [win] we've had all year," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "They really took it to us the second half and our guys just kept playing. It was a real pleasure to see it."

The Hawks, meanwhile, are just about locked in to the fifth seed in the East and are coming off a 88-83 home win over Boston on Friday. Jamal Crawford scored 20 points in that one as Atlanta used a strong fourth quarter to edge the Celtics.

Al Horford posted 16 points and 15 rebounds while Joe Johnson scored 19 for Atlanta, which holds a 4 1/2 lead over No. 6 Philadelphia.

Zaza Pachulia scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who have won four straight. Atlanta also avoided a sweep of the three-game season series.

"I'm just happy that we won the game," said Pachulia. "I'm not trying to be humble or anything, I'm just glad we won the game. It was a big game for us. We lost two times to Boston this season so we didn't want to get swept. That was a huge fourth quarter for us, we stayed in our game plan and it worked out."

Houston topped the Hawks in Dixie back on Jan. 15 and will be attempting to sweep the home-and-home season series for the first time since 2007-08.






Related News