Martin leads balanced attack as Rockets top Suns

Basketball Betting Lines

02/03/2012 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Martin led seven Houston players in double-digit scoring with 16 points, as the Rockets used their balanced attack to beat the Phoenix Suns, 99-81.

Luis Scola had 14 points and eight rebounds for Houston, which halted a two- game slide. Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson and Courtney Lee each contributed 12 points off the bench, while Chandler Parsons and Goran Dragic scored 10 points apiece.

Marcin Gortat recorded a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who have dropped five of seven.

The Rockets led 30-20 after 12 minutes and the advantage ballooned to a game- high 23 at 57-34 on Scola's putback layup with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.

Houston carried a 59-39 lead into the break after Kyle Lowry drained a pair of free throws. The outcome was never in doubt as Phoenix trailed by at least 15 throughout the second half.

Game Notes

Lowry dished out nine assists and pulled down eight boards...Jared Dudley matched Gortat with 15 points for the Suns...The Rockets improved to 10-3 at home this season...Houston has won two straight in the series on the heels of a seven-game losing streak.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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