Houston Roundball Review Archive: December 2006 T-Mac's 38 Helps Rockets Edge Memphis 111-109

Sunday, December 31, 2006

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- If you weren't at Toyota Center Sunday night, you missed one exciting ball game between the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies (7-25).

Tracy McGrady scored a game-high 38 points to lead the Rockets to a 111 to 109 victory.

McGrady shot 15 for 30 from the field including 5 for 8 from the Land of Three.

Juwan Howard was solid once again.

Howard scored 22 points (5 for 10 from the field and 12 for 13 from the foul line) and pulled down seven boards.

Memphis' swingman Mike Miller led the Grizzlies with 32 points.

Miller was on fire tonight. He hit 12 of his 17 field goal attempts including a red-hot 7 for 10 from behind the arc.

Miller and McGrady each scored 22 points in a back-and-forth first half.

Memphis led 59 to 58 at halftime.

The Grizzlies shot 59% (23 for 39) in the first 24 minutes including 63.6% (7 for 11) from three-point range.

McGrady made 8 of his 15 first half shots including 4 for 5 on three-pointers.

The Rockets' defense improved in the third quarter and held the Grizzlies to just 15 points while erasing their one-point half time deficit to leading 84 to 74 after three quarters.

After rookie forward Steve Novak drained a three-pointer to give the Rockets an 87 to 77 lead, Memphis scored eight straight points to pull within two points.

McGrady answered the run with a three-point shot; then, Grizzlies big man Stromile Swift made left-handed jump hook only to see McGrady answer with a bank shot from nine feet away to give the Rockets a 92 to 87 lead with 6:06 left in the fourth quarter.

Memphis scored the next six points to lead 93 to 92 with 4:40 left; but, guard Rafer Alston hit a 10-foot runner to put the Rockets ahead by one.

Swift tied the game at 94 by splitting two free throws; Howard hit two free throws for a 96 to 94 Rockets lead.

Center Pau Gasol split two more free throws; then, Rockets forward Shane Battier hit his only three-point shot of the game to boost Houston's lead to 99 to 95.

McGrady drained an 18-foot jumper; and, following a missed lay-up by Grizzlies guard Chucky Atkins, Luther Head swished a three-point shot to give the Rockets a 104 to 95 lead with 1:58 remaining.

The Grizzlies didn't quit and missed free throws down the stretch by the Rockets made the end of the game exciting.

Gasol and Miller narrowed the lead to 106 to 102; but, Luther Head hit his fifth three-pointer of the game to boost Houston's lead to seven with just 33.6 seconds remaining.

Gasol hit two free throws; Alston missed two free throws; Miller hit a six-foot runner in the paint which made the score 109 to 106.

Luther Head split two free throws; and, Swift scored on a putback with 6.2 seconds remaining to make the score 110 to 108.

Alston was fouled; he missed the first free throw; but, he made the second shot.

Trailing by three points (111 to 108), Memphis called a 20-second timeout.

Instead of allowing a game-tying three-point shot, Alston fouled Chucky Atkins with 3.6 seconds to go in the game.

Atkins made the first and intentionally missed the second shot.

Fittingly, McGrady rebounded the miss and the clock expired for the two point Rockets win.

After the game, Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy said, "We take great pride..."

T-Mac told the media, he tries to "get rolling early..."

The Rockets (19-12) continue their four-game homestand Wednesday night, January 3, versus the Seattle Supersonics.

Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm.

Listen to more archived MP3s.