Rockets slip past Chicago
Tracy McGrady had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Yao Ming had 20 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Rockets, who nearly blew a 21-point lead but hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls, 101-100, last night in Houston.
Rafer Alston scored 19 and reserve Scott Padgett scored 11 to spark a first-half run as the Rockets beat the Bulls for the seventh time in eight meetings.
Ben Gordon almost single-handedly carried Chicago to a dramatic comeback win, scoring 30 of his 37 points in the second half. He sank 11 of 22 shots and went 14 of 16 from the free throw line, breaking out of an early season slump. He came in shooting only 37.8 percent from the field.
"I was just trying to be a little aggressive," Gordon said. "I've been struggling with my shot lately, so I wanted to get to the free throw line. That's what kind of got me going."
Gordon scored 9 in the final minute and his driving bank shot with 27 seconds left cut Houston's lead to 95-92. After Shane Battier sank two free throws, Gordon swished a 3-pointer with 15.2 seconds left to pull the Bulls to within 97-95.
Alston hit two foul shots with 14.4 seconds left and Gordon missed a 3-pointer from the wing. Luther Head sank two free throws with 4.7 seconds remaining.
Andres Nocioni had a layup and a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Warriors 117, Kings 105 -- Baron Davis had 36 points, a career-high 18 assists, and 8 rebounds during another sensational performance that led host Golden State to its fourth straight win, a victory over Sacramento.
Davis had 11 assists in the first quarter alone, falling just shy of the single-quarter franchise record while staking Golden State to a lead it never relinquished in the fourth game of a seven-game homestand.
Mickael Pietrus added 26 points for the Warriors, who followed up a 40-point first quarter by making more than 57 percent of their shots in this Northern California rivalry game.
Davis surpassed his previous career high of 17 assists by setting up Jason Richardson's 3-pointer with 3:24 to play, ending Sacramento's last hope of a rally in its fifth loss in seven trips to Oakland. Richardson finished with 16 points, and Monta Ellis had 17.
Kevin Martin scored 26 points and Ron Artest had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings, whose four-game winning streak was snapped by 1-for-17 shooting on 3-pointers. Sacramento dropped to 1-3 on the road.
