ao Ming had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help the Houston Rockets beat the Orlando Magic 100-95 on Saturday night for their fourth win in five games.
Tracy McGrady and Rafter Alston added 17 apiece for Houston. The Rockets took control of the tight game in the middle of the fourth quarter and held on to snap Orlando's winning streak at five games.
Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 21 points and six assists, and Rashard Lewis added 18 points, but the Magic shot only 40.7 percent and All-Star center Dwight Howard wasn't much of a factor because of foul problems.
Howard had three fouls in the first half and got his fourth less than a minute into the third period in trying to defend Yao. Howard finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Both sides had trouble sustaining much offense in the second half, until the Rockets' Ron Artest hit a 17-foot jumper that gave Houston a 94-88 lead with 3:33 left. McGrady's free throw with 1:08 left made it 97-90.
There were 11 lead changes and six ties in the third quarter alone when Houston's four point lead at 73-69 was the biggest advantage either side could muster. Howard made a layup with 7 seconds left to cut it to 73-71 starting the fourth quarter.
Howard had three fouls and played only 7 minutes in the first half, but the Magic still managed to take a 53-51 lead thanks to a surprising contribution from his backup, Adonal Foyle.
Foyle, seeing his first action this season, had four points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 13 minutes in the first half. Lewis and Nelson added 12 apiece for the Magic, who were down 25-15 late in the first quarter.
Yao carried the Rockets in the first half, taking advantage of Howard's foul problems to score 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. McGrady had 11 points, including three three-pointers, but the rest of the Rockets were just 11-of-30 from the field.
11/22/2008 9:48 PM ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)
Rockets center Yao Ming defends against Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008. The Rockets won 100-95. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
ao Ming had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help the Houston Rockets beat the Orlando Magic 100-95 on Saturday night for their fourth win in five games.
