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Rockets stay hot, crown Kings

Apr 9, 2012 - 4:42 AM Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - Courtney Lee paced six Rockets in double figures with 25 points, and Houston took care of the Sacramento Kings, 104-87, at Power Balance Pavilion.

Goran Dragic chipped in 15 points and nine assists, and Patrick Patterson added 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Houston, which continued to surge following wins over the Bulls and Lakers.

The Rockets, currently the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoff race, forced 21 turnovers and never trailed.

Terrence Williams netted a season-high 21 points for the Kings, losers of four straight.

Lee netted 17 points in the first quarter on 7-of-8 shooting, including a 3- for-3 effort from behind the arc as the Rockets jumped out to a 32-21 lead.

"I felt good," Lee said. "We're continuing to win...I feel good about it."

The margin grew to 19 in the second quarter, which ended with Houston holding a 58-43 cushion.

Trailing 69-47 less than five minutes into the third, the Kings went on 14-2 run to pull within 10.

Williams made a jumper to start the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to single digits, 73-65, but the Rockets took over with eight of the next 10 points.

A Jimmer Fredette three-pointer cut the deficit to 86-74 near the midway point, but a Samuel Dalembert alley-oop dunk followed by a Chase Budinger hook shot and three-pointer on consecutive possessions put the game away.

"We didn't have a lot of energy tonight," Fredette said. "We have to come bring it every single night."

Game Notes

The Rockets swept the season series...Kyle Lowry, who missed the previous 15 games while recovering from a bacterial infection, came off Houston's bench and played 18 minutes. He missed his three field goal attempts and went 1- for-2 at the foul line...Fredette and fellow rookie Isaiah Thomas finished with 17 and 16 points, respectively, for the Kings...Luis Scola had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, who received 15 points from Budinger and 10 from Chandler Parsons.