Houston Rockets 101, Utah Jazz 85 — 'That kid made a lot of big shots'

Houston — Official postgame quotes and notes following the Jazz's 101-85 loss to the Rockets on Sunday at the Toyota Center. UTAH JAZZ QUOTES COACH TYRONE CORBIN(On the game) "We got it down to 2 or 3 points in the fourth. Then we didn't make shots and they made a 3-pointer and then got fouled and then we missed a couple of shots and then things got away from us. We just didn't make shots at the end of the fourth quarter. In the second half we got away from what we were doing early in the game. We just didn't have enough to finish." (On the Rockets and Lowry) "You look at the shots he made in the first quarter and our defense was good and they kicked the ball to him and he made the first 3 or 4 (3-pointers). I was satisfied with our defense. He made a couple of big shots down the stretch. Our guys fought but we just came up short. Houston got physical and played a little more aggressive. Bottom line was we just didn't make shots." AL JEFFERSON(On his injury at the end of the game) "I'm good. I just had a sharp pain in my stomach and had to come out." (On the game) "We didn't pull it out. I was very disappointed in our play and my own play. We have to do a better job. Houston picked it up as a team physically and they hit their shots." (On the Jazz play) "We all have to get better. It's a long season. There are no excuses. We have to play like we want to be a playoff team. We have to play better defensively." RAJA BELL(On the game) "They made shots at the end. That kid (Lowry) made a lot of big shots. Scola is crafty and very talented. Houston was playing better offensively than we were defensively." EARL WATSON(On the opposing guards play) "The point guards can't keep having 20-plus point games. We have to be more physical with them. We have to start adjusting to the personnel we're playing. I have to be more physical. It really bothers me what the point guards are scoring against us."

HOUSTON ROCKETS QUOTES COACH KEVIN McHALE (On the play of Greg Smith) "He did a nice job. He's smart. He knows what he's doing. A practice, probably, would not hurt him but he's just another big body. He set some really nice screens, which is good. We really need that." (On the game) "Our guys were really in tune. They practiced really hard yesterday. That's what we have to be. We really have to be in tune. We can't just walk out there and act like we don't know what we're doing. We've got to show up there with an edge. We've got to show up there with a purpose." (On the Rockets being aggressive) "We've got to get more aggressive. It's the one thing we didn't do last game. We've got to buck up. This game is not about schemes. This game is about going out there and knocking the guy out of the paint and trying to be aggressive. You can bring help but you can't bring help when guys are as low as they get." LUIS SCOLA (On the play of Kyle Lowry) "Kyle played awesome. He was really, really focused. He hit shots and he found people on his passes too. It was a great game for him." (On the Jazz) "They are a good team. They are always in the mix and usually, it is a game that really counts. Today's game was really important for us and it probably was for them too. It was a fun game to play." COURTNEY LEE (On his play time) "I registered twenty minutes. I don't know what to expect, some nights I play thirty (minutes). I had a couple of forty (minute plays). You never know. It is the coach's decision. You go with the flow of the game with what's needed and what's going on out there. So, he makes the subs where he feels is necessary." (On his shooting) "I didn't have the shooting touch. Kyle (Lowry) had the shooting touch. He went 7-for-8 from 3-point land. I shook his hand when I checked in and it kind of rubbed off on me." KYLE LOWRY (On his game) "I made some shots. I felt good out there. The best way I've played in a long time but the thing that really matters is that we won and played great defense in the second half." (On his shooting) "I got going. I hit the first shot, I hit my first couple and then I kind of got rolling. You know you have one of those nights when you're feeling good. I feel like I could make it any where, any time, any place." PATRICK PATTERSON (On his first start of the season) "It was unexpected. I walked in here and I looked on the board. The next thing I know, coach said to me 'Alright, you're starting on (Al) Jefferson.' I was like, 'what?' I wasn't ready, I wasn't mentally prepared for that but it's a great thing, especially when coach called my name." (On the importance of the Rockets win after loss to Minnesota) "It's just because of the game that we had against them (Minnesota). Kevin Love and (Nikola) Pekovic, the type of play they had against us, it was just horrible the way we played. We had a great practice the other day and we had the key points that coach was emphasizing and we came out here and just executed." POST-GAME NOTES Team Leaders:HoustonPoints: Kyle Lowry-32Rebounds: Luis Scola-9Assists: Kyle Lowry-9 UtahPoints: Al Jefferson-23Rebounds: Al Jefferson-11Assists: Devin Harris-4, Gordon Hayward-4 Houston outscored Utah by a 56-39 margin in the second half to take a 101-85 victory tonight. The Rockets now own a three-game winning streak over the Jazz (2/2/11-2/19/12). The Rockets made 37-of-72 (.514) from the field tonight, moving to 4-0 this season when shooting .500 or better. Houston was also a perfect 13-0 last season in such games. Houston has now recorded 23 consecutive victories when holding an opponent under 90 points, which ranks as the third longest active streak in the NBA. The Rockets, who hit 10-of-20 (.500) from beyond the arc vs. Minnesota (2/17/12), netted another 10-of-19 (.526) from 3-point range tonight. Houston is currently 3-4 this season when reaching double-digits from downtown. The Rockets recorded a 19-5 mark in 2010-11 when hitting 10 or more 3-pointers in a game. Houston limited Utah to just 32-of-81 (.395) from the floor tonight. The Rockets are a perfect 6-0 this season when the opponent shoots .399 or less. Kyle Lowry topped all scorers with 32 points (9-13 FG, 7-7 FT) and dished out a game-high nine assists, as well as matching his career high of seven made 3-pointers (7-8 3FG). Lowry was actually the last Houston player to make seven treys in a game when he set his career best at Phoenix (3/8/11). Overall, Lowry owns four career 30-point performances, with two coming this season. It also marked his ninth 20-point game of 2011-12. Luis Scola finished with 26 points (12-20 FG) and a team-high nine rebounds. Scola now has eight 20-point outings this season. Patrick Patterson made his first start of the season tonight (seventh career). He recorded eight points (4-9 FG) and seven rebounds, including a game-high four offensive boards. Greg Smith, who was recalled today from Houston's single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley, posted a game-high four blocked shots in his NBA debut. Al Jefferson led the Jazz with 23 points (10-20 FG) and 11 rebounds tonight. Utah moved to 8-5 this season when Jefferson records at least 10 points and 10 rebounds. Paul Millsap added 22 points (8-16 FG, 6-6 FT) and three steals tonight. Millsap entered this contest as Utah's steals leader with 1.38 per game over his first 29 outings.

The Salt Lake Tribune

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