Houston Rockets Battle Back, Steal Big Win on the Road in San Antonio

I have never seen a more exciting team to watch in my entire life than this year’s Houston Rockets.

And I vividly remember making a trip with my family to San Antonio as a kid to watch my hometown Rockets battle the Spurs on the road.

Kenny Smith and a few Rocket-red teammates even rode on the elevator with us on the way back to our room.

But last night’s road game in San Antone may just trump that night when I was there as a kid; and I was in Waco this time around.

Sitting in my apartment, glued to NBA TV watching the Rockets battle the Spurs, I sat in awe as Houston battled back time and time again.

From bad calls to ridiculous shots being made by their opponents, the Rockets managed to overcome three 11-point deficits in the first half.

Then, Houston came out hot in the second half of action, firing on all cylinders en route to an eight-point third quarter lead.

But, as per usual, the Spurs fought back at home and made a game of it before Houston hung on with solid defense and incredible offensive knowledge to knock off San Antonio on the road.

Wearing my ketchup and mustard Rockets #31 jersey, I stood and cheered in amazement as Shane Battier had a career performance (going 6-for-6 with 14 points, six rebounds, a block, and an assist).

Also contributing in a major way for the good guys were leading scorers Aaron Brooks (23 PTS, 7 ASTS, 3 STLS) and Kyle Lowry (23 PTS, 9 ASTS, 6 REBS), along with Carl Landry (19 PTS, 3 REBS, 2 BLKS ), Trevor Ariza (13 PTS, 6 REBS, 4 ASTS), and Luis Scola (13 PTS, 9 REBS, 2 ASTS) hitting double-digits in scoring for the road Rockets.

Houston now returns to the comfy confines of Toyota Center, where the Rockets will host six straight games beginning with the Chicago Bulls tomorrow night and the Eastern powerhouse Atlanta Hawks on Monday evening.

Following those pair of games, the Rockets face Portland, Phoenix, and Golden State at home before hitting the road for a matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Feb. 5.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]