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LOS ANGELES -- There was no warm welcome back. No video montage of highlights that brought back the good old days. That didnt keep Dwight Howard from thoroughly enjoying his first road game against the team he left as a free agent after one tumultuous season. Howard had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Houston Rockets in 134-108 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night that extended the Rockets winning streak to eight games. "Were always going to have fun when were playing basketball. We love what were doing," Howard said. "Were playing great, and we just want to have as much fun as possible." The streak is Houstons longest since a franchise-record, 22-game run in 2007-08 under Rick Adelman. James Harden scored 11 of his 29 points in the final 1:25 of the third quarter and added 11 assists. Wesley Johnson scored 24 points for Los Angeles, and Kendall Marshall had 20 points and 16 assists. The injury-ravaged Lakers remained tied for last place in the Western Conference with Sacramento at 18-36. "The Lakers have always found a way to get back to the top, and they will one day. But I cant focus on the Lakers," Howard said. "My focus is on the Rockets and what were trying to accomplish." It was Howards third game against the Lakers since leaving the organization to sign a four-year, $88 million contract with the Rockets in July. Los Angeles offered the eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year a five-year, $118 million deal to stay. "Hes having a great year there, but I felt he did the same thing here," Lakers guard Jodie Meeks said. "The numbers are almost identical. He had a pretty good year last year -- and for whatever reason, some people didnt think so." Howard played 76 games last season, averaging 17.1 points and a league-best 12.4 rebounds despite residual pain from back surgery -- compounded by a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Howards only season in Tinseltown ended with a whimper -- a four-game sweep by San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs, when he was ejected from what would turn out to be his final game as a Laker for protesting a non-call. The sellout crowd booed Howard every time he touched the ball. It began during warm-ups about 45 minutes before the game, after a few of his ex-teammates came over to say hello at midcourt. The fans then drowned out public address announcer Lawrence Tanter before he could get Howards name out of his mouth during the introductions. Howard received a technical foul just 78 seconds into the game after dunking on Chris Kaman. "I think it was more emotion than anything," Howard said. "I dont know if the ref thought I was talking to Kaman, but one of my friends was sitting courtside and I was just looking at him and having some fun. It wasnt nothing toward the Lakers or any of their guys. I was just talking trash to one of my friends." Less than 90 minutes before tipoff, the Lakers dealt guard Steve Blake to the Golden State Warriors for reserve guards Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks. Coach Mike DAntoni was still talking about Blake in the present tense during his pregame session with reporters before the deal was consummated, and the trade left him with only eight players in uniform and his 28th different starting lineup due to injuries to Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, Xavier Henry and Nick Young. Jordan Farmar returned to the lineup after missing four games because of a sore hamstring, and Meeks was back in action after sitting out five games with a sprained right ankle. Harden helped the Rockets build a 64-43 halftime lead with 15 points in the first game for both teams following the All-Star break. Howard added 14 points and 10 rebounds -- the 10th time this season that he had a double-double by halftime. NOTES: The Rockets were 18 for 35 on free throws, after attempting more than 50 in each of the previous two meetings. ... Bryant hasnt played in any of the games against Houston since he and Howard became ex-teammates. In fact, hes played in only six games altogether. The season series concludes on April 8 at Los Angeles. ... The Lakers have lost seven games by margins of at least 20 or more points. ... Harden scored at least 30 points in each of his previous four games against the Lakers. ... The Rockets began a five-game road trip that will end right back here at Staples Center against the Clippers. Cheap Air Jordan 1 For Sale . -- Jimmie Johnson has a sixth NASCAR championship in hand and two legends within reach. Wholesale Air Jordan 1 .com) - Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined for 51 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder took down the struggling Bucks 114-101 on Tuesday. http://www.cheapairjordan1.com/. James Harden wasnt worried and told his coach as much. "He was fired up but I told him: Its OK. Were going to be all right," Harden said. And they were. Houston scored 17 straight points after that timeout, led by 10 from Harden, to take the lead and roll to an easy 129-106 win. Cheap Jordan 1 .com) - Houston Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips confirmed Monday that starting quarterback Case Keenum sustained a sprained right thumb during Sundays 25-3 loss in Indianapolis. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Free Shipping . The team let Keaton Ellerby, James Wright and Matt Halischuk become unrestricted free agents after declining to make them qualifying offers. Ellerby, 25, appeared in 51 games for the Jets last season and had two goals and four assists.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dave Tippett took a risk by forgoing plans to spend time with his wife at their off-season home in Minnesota to become coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, a franchise with a murky future after being cast into bankruptcy protection. Four years later, Tippett has taken another leap into uncertainty, agreeing on a long-term contract to continue coaching the Coyotes despite an ownership situation that still hasnt been resolved. "I just felt like this was the best fit because of the people you get to work with," Tippett said on Monday from Jobing.com Arena. "We all have a similar vision for how we would like to build this team. Theres some challenges ahead. We put a foundation in place, but its about taking it to the next level." Tippett took his initial gamble in the desert in 2009, joining the Coyotes during training camp after being fired by the Dallas Stars the previous season. The franchise was swirling in instability when Tippett took over, taken into bankruptcy protection three months earlier by former owner Jerry Moyes, who attempted to sell the team to a buyer who wanted to move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. Despite numerous suitors and near-misses, the franchise went into this past off-season still without an owner, still being run by the league. Finally, it appears an end to the saga could be near -- one way or another. Last month, the NHL agreed to sell the team to Renaissance Sports & Entertainment, a group headed by Canadian investors George Gosbee, Anthony LeBlanc and Daryl Jones. RSE still had to work out a lease agreement with the city of Glendale for Jobing.com Arena and the two sides have been negotiating the past few weeks. Glendales City Council is expected to vote on the lease deal on July 2, a decision that will either keep the team in Arizona or send it packing, possibly to Seattle. After waiting to see how the ownership situation would play out, Tippett decided last week to re-up with the Coyotes, giving the franchise another dose of stability after general manager Don Maloney, assistant GM Brad Treliving and two assistant coaches signed in recent weeks. "I always felt fairly certain that we could find a way to make a deal," Maloney said. "Obviously, it took a little longer than maybe you would have liked because of the uncertaiinty with the team, but the good thing is that this saga is ending fairly soon.ddddddddddddquot; Tippett has shaped the Coyotes into a winner despite the limitations that came with the ownership saga. He had an immediate impact on the franchise after moving behind the bench, leading the Coyotes to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 while earning the 2010 Jack Adams Award as the NHLs coach of the year. Phoenix made the playoffs again the next year despite the limitations of being run by the league and had the best season in franchise history under Tippett in 2011-12, winning its first NHL division title and reaching the Western Conference finals for the first time. The Coyotes missed the playoffs for the first time under Tippett last season, but it had more to do with injuries and the off-the-ice distractions finally catching up to the players than anything the coach did. "We all know the job Tipp has done the four years hes been here," Maloney said. "Between the patience hes shown and the respect he has in the locker room, hes a great fit for us and a key part of our future to continue to build a franchise here in Phoenix." Tippett likely would have gotten a bigger payday someplace else. One of the NHLs best tactical coaches, he would have been a hot commodity when his contract expired, with teams that had coaching vacancies and even some that didnt calling for his services. "His phone probably would have started ringing at 12:01 on July 1," Maloney said. But that wasnt what Tippett wanted. Loyal and someone who doesnt like to leave unfinished business, he said all along that he wanted to return to the Coyotes, even showing up at Maloneys news conference after the GM signed a contract extension. Tippett waited to see how the ownership situation played out, but once Treliving, associate head coach Jim Playfair and goalies coach Sean Burke joined Maloney in signing to stay in the desert, he decided to join them despite some uncertainty still in the air. "Once Don signed, once Brad signed, theres a distinct direction our management team was going and it made it a lot easier for me to justify staying with the group," Tippett said. Tippetts signing gives the Coyotes even more direction. Exactly where theyre headed is still up in the air. ' ' '