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Rockets look to extend modest win streak

Jan 10, 2009 - 11:23 AM New York (13-21) at Houston (23-15) 8:30 p.m. EST

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Oh, for the days of Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing's head-to-head battles. A modern-day showdown between the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks is decidedly un-Finals worthy.

That's exactly what the Toyota Center will get Saturday, as the Knicks continue their Western Conference road trip with a meeting against the erratic Rockets.

At the least, such a matchup can provide a point-counterpoint between two vastly differing styles of play. There's the Rockets, epitomizing - a bit ironically - the slowed-down, defense-first mentality that ex-Knicks coach Pat Riley popularized in the early 1990s. And then there's this version of the Knicks, with Mike D'Antoni steering the ship with his run-and-gun offense.

Not surprisingly, New York is among the highest-scoring teams in the league this season - second only to the high-powered Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets, meanwhile, are once again among the NBA's best defensive groups. Opponents are managing just 94.2 points per game.

However, that hasn't done Houston much good lately. While the team has won two in a row, it's still struggling to find any consistency or offensive firepower. The Rockets opened the month with three straight losses, finally snapped that skid with a win over the struggling Boston Celtics, then eked out a victory Friday against Oklahoma City, the league's worst team.

To make matters worse, Tracy McGrady (knee) and Ron Artest (ankle) continue to battle through injuries that have hobbled them for the better part of the season.

The Knicks have lost nine of 11 and haven't yet benefited much from the November trades that shipped out Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford and brought over Al Harrington and Tim Thomas. They fell victim to the lowly Thunder on Tuesday after shooting just 40 percent (35-of-88). Two nights later, they dropped a close one to the Dallas Mavericks.