Houston Dims Golden State;Snowy Jerusalem

The Houston Rockets overpowered the Golden State Warriors 116-112 Friday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland.The fourth period was a closely fought battle after the Wariors had trailed by about 10 points most of the game.In the end,however,the Rockets' powerful combination of James Harden,Chandler Parsons and Dwight Howard was just a bit stronger than the Warriors' top performers David Lee,Harrison Barnes and Stephen Curry.
Dwight Howard said he had been working a lot with the NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwan and Rockets coach Kevin McHale.He contributed 18 points,11 rebounds and 3 assists to the winning effort.James Harden led the Rockets in scoring with his 26 points,2 rebounds and 9 assists.Chandler Parsons added 23 points,1 rebound and 3 assists.
For the Warriors,David Lee topped with 23 points,10 rebounds and 2 blocks.Big man Andrew Bogut impressed with two one-hand jams as the Warriors narrowed the gap and even led briefly late in the game.Warriors star Stephen Curry had an off night with 20 points,2 rebounds and 9 assists.He is 6th in the league in points and assists.*
A vast snowstorm is moving eastward across the United States,buttressed by a stubborn dome of cold air from Canada.It is spanning more than 1,000 miles/1609.3 km.Plowable snow will extend from Missouri east to New Jersey,North to Maine and South to Virginia.
The extent of the snowpack in the US is extraordinary for this date.Last year it covered 30.8% as of 12 December;this year it covers 58.6%.It also goes farther south than normal,reaching all the way to North Texas.This is attributable to the persistent arctic air that has spread so widely.*
Overseas,there has been a rare snowstorm in the Middle East.Jerusalem was in chaos as it faced the worst snow in 50 years,receiving up to 4 inches/10.16 cm.Airports,roads and schools were closed,and the snow even spread into the Egyptian desert just outside Cairo.

Market Strong;Lakers Weak

The market turned in a strong scorecard on Friday.Although trading volume remains thin,all the major averages gained more than 2% for the week.The Dow added 2.40%,while the NASDAQ notched 2.80 and the S&P climbed 2.04.The tech sector powered the rally on good earnings reports from Intel,IBM and Microsoft,although Google issued a poor one.The market was also cheered by a positive existing home sales number,up 5% to an 11-month high.
The Los Angeles Lakers were not cheerful on Friday night,however.Their road record fell to 1-6 as they were held to a season low 80 points by the Orlando Magic in Florida,falling by a score of 92-80.Dwight Howard led the Magic with 21 points and 23 rebounds,while Kobe Bryant continued his excellent season for the Lakers with 32 points.Howard attributed their success to the fact that they decided to play good defense,and his offensive approach was just to attack.
Commentator and former NBA star Magic Johnson noted that,although the Lakers were shooting 28%,they continue to shoot jump shots.I don't understand that.A lot of guys are open for a reason.When you struggle,you've got to take it to the basket,Johnson said.
The market will have plenty to digest next week as a torrent of data and earnings reports pour in.McDonald's,Apple,Procter&Gamble and AT&T are among the giant companies reporting,while durable goods,new home sales,consumer sentiment and Leading Economic Indicators figures will also be released.Europe and Iran may continue to factor into trading as well.
On Friday evening,the S&P futures edged up 0.40,and bond index futures fell.
McDonald's(MCD),Apple(AAPL),Proctor&Gamble(PG),AT&T(T)