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Houston Rockets' Yao Ming, of China, right, takes a shot as he gets tangled up with Seattle SuperSonic's Johan Petro, of France, left, in the first half of NBA basketball action on Friday, Feb. 3, 2006, in Houston. (AP Photo/Jessica Kourkounis) |
Yao Ming sparks Rockets past Sonics
HOUSTON --Tracy McGrady scored 36 points and Yao Ming added 24 points and 14 rebounds Friday night to lead the Houston Rockets over the Seattle SuperSonics 100-77.
McGrady also grabbed nine rebounds as the Rockets improved to 6-15 at home and won back-to-back games at the
Ray Allen scored 23 points and Rashard Lewis added 21 for Seattle, which committed 20 turnovers and got outrebounded 50-40.
McGrady had a quiet first quarter, going 3-for-7 for seven points. He sat out the first five minutes of the second quarter, then scored seven points during an 11-4 run that gave Houston a 46-39 lead.
McGrady scored 16 points in the first half, helping the Rockets take a 48-43 lead. Houston coughed up three turnovers early in the third quarter and the Sonics pulled within 50-49.
McGrady then scored nine straight points on a layup, two mid-range jumpers and a 3-pointer from the wing.
He made a bad pass that led to a Sonics' fast break, but swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key a minute later to restore Houston's double-digit lead.
McGrady went 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
Rookie Luther Head beat the third-quarter buzzer with a running 30-footer to give the Rockets a 73-57 lead heading to the fourth.
McGrady made sure it lasted. He swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key 15 seconds into the fourth quarter and sank another one with 10:35 left. He confidently nodded as he trotted down the court after the second basket, which put the Rockets up 81-57.
Yao, meanwhile, looked rusty at times in his third game back after missing 21 games following toe surgery. But he finished strong, hitting all five of his shots in the final quarter. Yao finished 9-of-19 and also had three assists and two blocked shots.
The Rockets improved to 11-6 when Yao and McGrady both play.
The Sonics, allowing an NBA-worst 107 points per game, gave up 100 points for the fifth straight game.
Notes:@ McGrady reached 30 points for the 14th time this season and the second time in Houston's last three home games. ... Rockets G Jon Barry sat out for the 14th consecutive game with a right calf strain. ... Seattle has only four home games in February. Friday's game is the first of 10 on the road for the Sonics this month. ... Members of the Memphis basketball team attended the game. The third-ranked Tigers play Rice on Saturday.
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