Salt Flats

The Rockets blew a tire in the second and third quarters against the Jazz tonight. To their credit, they did not give up though, and came back to tie the game in the fourth before falling in the last few minutes.

A number of words come to mind: tough, floor-burns, gritty, determined... Those words apply to both teams, but especially to Deron Williams, the Jazz' fourth year point guard out of Illinois. He had 26 points and 14 rebounds, effectively controlling the game down the stretch. He played like an all-star this night.

Ron Artest led the Rockets with 25 points, but again seemed determined to do it all by himself. That should probably have been expected based on his history of animosity with the Jazz. Check out the video of Ron vs. the Jazz on youtube.

The only Rocket that stood out was Kyle Lowry, who came off the bench to spark a comeback in the fourth quarter. He had 14 points in 21 minutes of relief, but in spite of his aggression, no assists. Still, maybe it's time to give Lowry a shot at starting. Brooks has been mediocre most nights and may be hitting the sophomore wall.