HOUSTON — Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks scored 28 points each in three quarters and the Houston Rockets rolled to a 116-92 win over the struggling and beat-up Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
The Rockets led by 32 after three and both teams played mostly reserves the rest of the way.
Houston scored the first five points of the game and never trailed in this one as the Raptors dropped their fourth in a row in their sixth straight game without All-Star Chris Bosh.
Bosh did not make the trip as he deals with a sprained left ankle and Jose Calderon missed the game with an elbow injury. Hedo Turkoglu scored four points in 15 minutes in the first half, but did not return after halftime because of a sore ankle.
Marcus Banks led the Raptors with 15 points and Andrea Bargnani added 14.
Houston opened the second half with a 12-5 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Brooks, to extend its lead to 80-52. Banks hit a reverse layup before Martin scored five straight points to make it 85-54.
Chase Budinger made a nifty play when he tipped in an alley-oop from Brooks with his left hand as he fell a few minutes later. He was fouled on the play and made the free throw as Houston's David Andersen and Toronto's Antoine Wright got into a shoving match.
Both players were given technicals for the scuffle and Houston had its biggest lead of the night — 93-57.
Andersen added 16 for Houston and Luis Scola had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Turkoglu injured his left ankle after his foot was stepped on during a foul by Jared Jeffries early in the second quarter. He remained on the court for a minute before slowly getting to his feet and making two free throws. He was quickly replaced and taken to the locker room after being examined on the bench.
He had his ankle re-taped and was back on the bench with about six minutes remaining and returned to the game a few seconds later. He finished the half but did not return after halftime.
Houston led by four after Turkoglu's free throws before scoring four quick points to push the lead to 43-35. The Rockets had stretched the lead to 10 when Reggie Evans got a foul and a technical when he grabbed and held the hand of Shane Battier as he attempted to go up for a shot. The Rockets hit all three free throws to make it 58-45 about three minutes before halftime.
The Rockets outscored Toronto 10-2 after that to make it 68-47 at halftime.
Notes
Houston's 68 first half points are a season high for points in the first half. … Chuck Hayes had a career-high eight assists for the Rockets.