HOUSTON -- Dwight Howard didnt think he was aggressive enough in Houstons two losses to Sacramento this season and vowed to attack from the beginning when the Rockets faced the Kings on Wednesday night. Wholesale Shoes 2020 . Howards plan worked. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds by halftime on the way to a 26-point night to help the Rockets cruise to their third straight win, a 119-98 victory over the Kings. Howard also had 13 rebounds and four blocks and James Harden added 24 points and nine assists before the pair went to the bench for the fourth quarter. "The last couple of games against those guys, I didnt come out aggressive like I needed to on both ends of the floor," Howard said. "Ive been looking at some film and I wanted to get off to a better start. Its not just about scoring. Its defence and things like that." The Rockets took the lead midway through the first quarter and didnt trail again. The Kings struggled after losing top scorers Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins to injuries before halftime. Gay, who tied a career high with 41 points on Tuesday night, injured his left Achilles tendon in the first quarter and Cousins sprained his left ankle in the second. Sacramento coach Mike Malone didnt have any more information on the injuries after the game and said that theyd know more on Thursday. "It was a big loss to lose both of those guys in the first half," Malone said. "Unfortunately, those other guys that were able to play didnt respond. We got our (tails) kicked tonight and were a no-excuse team ... so the fact that we guarded no one tonight has nothing to do with them not being able to play in the second half." Derrick Williams scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and Isaiah Thomas added 20 points for the Kings. Houston led by 15 points entering the fourth quarter and padded its lead with Harden and Howard relaxing on the bench in their warm-up shirts. They used a 15-3 spurt in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the fourth to make it 103-76. Sacramento missed eight shots, including three layups in that span, and its only points came on free throws by Williams. The Rockets were up by nine points early in the third quarter before scoring 10 straight points to stretch their advantage to 65-46. Chandler Parsons and Patrick Beverley both had 3-pointers in that stretch. Jimmer Fredette made a 3-pointer that cut Houstons lead to 11 points with about eight minutes left in the second quarter. Cousins went down on Sacramentos next possession when he was knocked to the court on a hard foul by Beverley as he drove to the basket. Beverley stood over him for a second while he was down and Beverley received a technical. Cousins entered the game leading the team in scoring (23.1) and rebounding (11.7). He scored just two points before getting hurt, snapping a streak of 30 straight games with at least 10 points. The Rockets used a 6-2 spurt after that to extend their lead to 44-29. Sacramento got within eight two times after that in the second quarter, but Howard scored six points with two alley-oop dunks in the last 1 1/2 minutes of the first half to help the Rockets lead 55-44 at the break. The Kings were up by five points early before Houston used a 14-5 run to take a 21-17 lead with about three minutes left in the first quarter. Gay, who entered the game averaging 20.2 points, was injured at the beginning of that run, which was powered by eight points from Harden. Houston coach Kevin McHale was impressed with Hardens work on Wednesday night. "He started getting to the rim," McHale said. "I thought we were settling for a lot and playing East and West. We told them to get to the hole and put pressure on the basket and they did." Gay has started all 21 games for the Kings since being traded from Toronto on Dec. 9. Aaron Gray received a flagrant foul soon after that when he grabbed Harden as he was heading to the basket. Harden made both free throws as part of an 8-2 run that put the Rockets up 29-22 at the end of the first. Omri Casspi added 20 points and tied a career-high with 12 rebounds and Parsons added 19 points with 10 rebounds. NOTES: Houstons Terrence Jones missed his second straight game with a deep thigh bruise and Ronnie Brewer sat out with a sore calf. ... Sacramentos Quincy Acy and Harden both received technical fouls on the same play in the third quarter. ... Thomas has made at least one 3-pointer in 35 straight games, tying the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. Replica Shoes Wholesale . Arsene Wenger reportedly wants to convert the player into an attacking force, much like he did with Robin Van Persie. Cheap Shoes China Free Shipping . He looked very comfortable Wednesday night. Konerko had a big three-run double and Gordon Beckham homered for the second straight game, leading the Chicago White Sox to an 8-3 victory over the sliding Chicago Cubs. http://www.wholesaleshoes.us.org/ . "I only want to go through this one more time," Crosby said Friday. The 24-year-old captain hasnt played since the symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on Dec. 5. Doctors allowed him to return to full practice on Tuesday and while Crosby is pleased with the way his body is responding he refuses to put on his return. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Colorado Avalanche will be heading into their first post-season in four years without leading scorer Matt Duchene after the forward suffered a quirky left knee injury. Duchene hurt his medial collateral ligament when he ran into a teammate on the opening shift against San Jose over the weekend. Hes expected to miss about four weeks. The loss is a big blow for the Avalanche, who have turned things around in coach Patrick Roys first season in charge and are in the running for home-ice advantage with eight games remaining. "We hope for a speedy recovery to be back as soon as he can," Ryan OReilly said after practice Monday. Duchene was trying to avoid a collision with teammate Jamie McGinn, but they awkwardly bumped anyway near the Sharks blue line. Duchene fell to the ice and then gingerly skated to the bench. "One of those freak accidents in hockey," McGinn said. McGinn said hes called and texted Duchene, telling him to "stay positive." Duchene posted on his Twitter account Monday that the "thought of not playing in the first round for me has been devastating." He added that he will be "doing everything in my power to be ready for Game 1... And if not then, shortly after!" The 23-year-old Duchene has set career highs this season in points (70), assists (47) and shots (217). He missed three games earlier this season with an oblique injury. The team went 3-0 in his absence. For now, Roy said the plan is to move rookie Nathan MacKinnon to centre to fill in for Duchene, with OReilly and McGinn playing on the wings. "Weve been finding ways to win games," Roy said. "Well continue to find ways to win." Heres an encouraging sign: P.A. Parenteau, who sprained his knee on March 10, briefly skated on his own Monday. Roy said Parenteau could possibly be back for the regular seaason finale in Anaheim on April 13. Wholesale China Shoes Free Shipping. "We have depth and a lot of confidence in our players," Roy said. "Our players have a lot of confidence in themselves. Its a team concept. Its how weve been winning our games. Its not going to change." Right after practice, Roy assembled his team at centre ice, just to give them one final pep talk before taking off for their game in Columbus on Tuesday. He told them he was "proud of them" and that the team shouldnt be satisfied, especially with Colorado trailing Central Division-leading St. Louis by only seven points. The message was well received. "All year, guys have stepped up and done a great job," McGinn said. "We just stay positive and work hard and good things will happen." Asked if there was any pressure stepping in for Duchene, MacKinnon responded, "No." "Im not going to try to replace Dutchy, because you cant," said MacKinnon, a clear favourite for rookie of the year. "Matt is a big-time player and were going to have to find ways to win without him." Roy knows all about missing an integral player for the post-season. He and the Avalanche were without Peter Forsberg during their 2001 Stanley Cup run when Forsberg had to have his spleen removed after the first round. The team carried on without the Swedish star, beating the New Jersey Devils in Game 7 to win the title. "Thats the way it was in 2001 -- it was about the team," Roy said. "Peter was a very important player on that team, dont get me wrong. But our culture was we had to work hard every time we were on the ice. We had to find ways to win hockey games. "Thats what this team has been doing all year. This is what were talking about when youre talking about a team changing their culture. Were not looking for an excuse. Were looking for a solution." ' ' '