ESPN Network: ESPN.com | NFL.com | NBA.com | NHL.com | WNBA.com | ABCSports | EXPN | FANTASY | INSIDER

  Scores/Schedules
  Standings
  Statistics
  Transactions
  Injuries
  Players
  Message Board
  NBA StatSearch
  NBA en espaņol
Clubhouses





Thursday, Jan. 4 8:30pm ET
Stackhouse scores 46 in loss to Rockets

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

HOUSTON (AP) -- Jerry Stackhouse's career-high 46 points meant little, perhaps nothing.

Jerry Stackhouse
Pistons guard Jerry Stackhouse drives past Houston's Kenny Thomas and Shandon Anderson.
"It would have been great to get the 46 and win, but it's no consolation the way we played," Stackhouse said Thursday night after his Detroit Pistons lost to the Houston Rockets 107-97.

Stackhouse's total was a point short of the most by an opposing player at Compaq Center -- Mitch Richmond on Dec. 15, 1995.

"I was getting the ball in the spots where I wanted it, and that made it easy to score," Stackhouse said. "I don't feel anyone can stop me one-on-one, and Shandon (Anderson) was out there all by himself. That left me open. But it's no good when you don't win. We didn't shoot the ball as well as we wanted to."

Stackhouse, who scored 44 points against Toronto in Detroit's season opener, was 15 of 27 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line.

"That's the NBA," Anderson said. "You're not going to stop guys who shoot that much. He made some great shots falling back and driving. Some of the layups bounced his way. But when you've got it going, you've got it going. You can't hold your head down. "

Stackhouse scored 23 points in the first half, the 10th time this season he reached 20 after two quarters.

"You know he's going to take a lot of shots," Maurice Taylor said. "You're not going to stop a guy like that. He's who they have to go to, so he's going to score. We just tried to rebound and shut everyone else down."

Steve Francis scored 26 points for Houston, and Anderson and Cuttino Mobley each had 21 points for the Rockets, who stopped a five-game home losing streak. Houston has won eight straight at home against the Pistons.

"Stackhouse had a tremendous performance," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "I still think we played good defense. This guy was just in another universe. We tried to run guys at him, but it's hard to double-team a guy when he gets the ball outside so much like that."

Taylor added 16 points and Kenny Thomas 13 for the Rockets. Dana Barros had 13 points for Detroit, coming off a 107-104 loss at Dallas on Wednesday night.

"We played much better last night and it was really obvious that we were tight tonight," Pistons coach George Irvine said. "We had Jerry, obviously, and he had a great night scoring, but we never could step it up defensively. Francis was good, and we just couldn't stop him. We gave up too many points in the paint and got outrebounded."

Stackhouse thought the Pistons' lack of defense was the difference.

"I just think defensively we had a lot of mistakes and too many breakdowns," he said. "We thought we had it down offensively, but we never could solve them, especially Francis."

Houston went on a 12-2 run midway through the first quarter to take a 14-7 lead and a 3-pointer by Francis made it 21-11.

Houston opened a 30-22 lead by the end of the quarter. Stackhouse scored 13 points by then and Anderson 10.

Francis scored nine points the first 6:20 of the second quarter as the Rockets expanded their lead to as many as 12. Houston led 57-51 at halftime lead as Francis had 18 points and Anderson 15, offsetting 23 by Stackhouse.

Stackhouse scored 15 more points in the third quarter but Detroit trailed 83-76.

Game notes
The Rockets are 7-1 vs. Eastern Conference teams. ... Houston is 9-1 when scoring 100 or more points. ... Alex English scored the most points in a game against the Rockets, 54, during the 1985-86 season.


ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

Detroit Clubhouse

Houston Clubhouse


RECAPS
Miami 81
New Jersey 78

Minnesota 105
Seattle 92

New York 95
Orlando 92

Chicago 98
Washington 96

Houston 107
Detroit 97

FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT

Jerry Stackhouse Official Site

Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site


ESPN.com:  HELP |  ADVERTISER INFO |  CONTACT US |  TOOLS |  SITE MAP
Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Group. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site. Employment opportunities at ESPN.com.