Basisphilosophie » gave the Rockets the lead again -- thi

WASHINGTON -- Dwight Howard played the role of NBA rain delay entertainer, playing one-on-one with some kids from the front row and playfully rejecting their shots. Maybe a baseball team should borrow him the next time some summer storms are in the forecast. The pair of stoppages, due to a leak in the Verizon Center roof on a rainy day, would have been more than enough to make the game memorable, but why stop there? Lets have Howard and his heavily favoured team play like gangbusters each time the water was mopped up. Then blow a 25-point lead. Then come from five down in the fourth quarter to win it. Yep, that Houston Rockets 114-107 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night was somethin else altogether. "The craziest game ever?" Howard said. "Yeah, I would say that." Long after the delays of 35 and 22 minutes, James Harden tied the score with a driving layup with 2:33 to play, then gave the Rockets the lead again -- this time for good -- with a three-point play with 1:54 remaining. He finished with 25 points to lead the Rockets, who made only four field goals in the final period yet closed with a 17-5 run. "It was a long game," Harden said. "A leakage in the court. Ive never been a part of something like that before." Neither had Howard, who ran the gamut of good and bad. He did the most to keep the fans engaged during the interruptions in play, signing an autograph or two and playing with the youngsters. The crowd reacted with exaggerated gasps when Howard would slap a shot in the seats -- "They told me to protect the house," Howard joked -- and cheered when one of the kids scored. "Ive got to work on my defence," Howard deadpanned, "if I want to get defensive player of the year." Howard also dominated the game well into the second half before falling apart in the fourth quarter, committing four turnovers and missing both of his field goals and all four free throw attempts. He finished with 23 points. "I did OK," Howard said. "I think in the second half I didnt finish like I needed to. I wasnt as aggressive as I was in the first half." Terrence Jones added 19 points and 17 rebounds, and Jeremy Lin added 18 points and eight assists for the Rockets, who are 1-1 halfway through a four-game road trip. John Wall led Washingtons comeback and finished with 23 points and 10 assists, Trevor Ariza had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Kevin Seraphin -- another catalyst in Washingtons surge -- had all of his season-high 18 points in the second half. The Wizards lost their fourth straight home game and fell to 2-14 against teams that are currently .500 or better. "Now I wish they would have just cancelled it," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. The leak caused the officials to hit the pause button 9 seconds into the second quarter and again at the start of the second half. Trash cans and an array of towels were spread at the midcourt line close to the scorers table. Several people were in the rafters, apparently trying to solve the problem. The wet mess was an obvious black eye for the Wizards franchise, and the team seemed intent on matching it with their play. After shooting 62 per cent in the first quarter, Washington made only 6 of 24 field goal attempts (25 per cent) for the rest of the half. The Rockets went on a 34-13 run to seemingly break open a tie game after the first delay. The towels and trash cans reappeared after halftime. Wittman said the leak was finally stopped after a tarp was laid on the arenas roof. The Rockets, already with a 17-point lead, again were able to get themselves in gear faster than the Wizards, going on a 15-7 run after the restart. But the Wizards eventually regrouped and came back. Then the Rockets came back. The wet floor never did. "Obviously weve had a lot of rain here," Wittman said. "And obviously theres a hole up there somewhere." NOTES: The Rockets are 11-3 against the Eastern Conference; the Wizards are 3-9 against the West. ... Houston F Chandler Parsons missed his third consecutive game with a sore right knee. ... Washington has lost seven of eight at home, another frustration for Wittman. "We just go out and play like its an AAU game," the coach said. Custom Arizona Cardinals Jerseys .com) - Jenny Boucek is the new head coach of the Seattle Storm. Pat Tillman Jersey . -- Arizona pitcher Bronson Arroyo is expected to miss a week to 10 days because of a back injury. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/Youth-Kurt-Warner-Cardinals-Jersey/ . On Saturday, the paths of Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn cross again as opposing quarterbacks. Larry Fitzgerald Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12.The countdown to the Mar. 5 Trade Deadline continues. As NHL teams decide on whether to buy or sell, check out the latest trade-related reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. Busy In The Capital Senators general manager Bryan Murray told Wayne Scanlan of The Ottawa Citizen that hes fielded some calls this week from other GMs on trade deadline possibilities, including nephew and new Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray. "Im like every other manager, just trying to see whats right," Murray told the paper. "Theres a few players everybodys looking to do something with and the price is real high to do that. I guess it will play out." Murray added that a GM told him he has a couple of players he wants to deal, but doesnt expect to do so until the better free agents are dealt first. Scanlan also writes that Murray would like to acquire a veteran forward with term remaining on his contract. "Thats more of what Im looking at, really," he told him. "If I can make the right deal to get a guy thats played in the league, that has a little term in his contract, then we would get a chance to get to know him and hed get a chance to get to know us, and maybe then keep him around, thats the ideal thing for me." Talking The Talks In a dressing room scrum in Brossard on Tuesday, Montreal Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov was asked by Jimmy Murphy of Sirius/XM NHL Network Radio about Tony Marinaros rreport on TSN Radio 690 that the team offered him a one-year, $6 million contract.dddddddddddd "Who said that?" he replied. "I dont know. Were people there at the meetings? I have nothing to say right now. "Whatever you (media) guys are fishing for, I dont know. Its up to you guys." After the scrum, Markov told Dave Stubbs of The Montreal Gazette that contract talks, "are still in progress." "Well see what happens," he told The Gazette regarding the discussions. "There are eight days left (until the March 5 trade deadline). It can happen at any time." Jets In Holding Pattern? Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Sun writes that the Jets still have have to decide what they will do at the trade deadline - buy, sell or stand pat. If they become sellers, Wiebe suggests that soon-to-be free agents like Al Montoya, Olli Jokinen, Devin Setoguchi and Mark Stuart could be shopped. Even Steven As per Erik Erlendsson of The Tampa Tribune, Lightning forward Steven Stamkos isnt buying into the trade speculation involving Martin St. Louis. "They are rumors, but I dont really know where that stuff comes from," he told the newspaper. Quiet In