Yao's Rockets Beat Up on Knicks Again

Yao Ming had 26 points and nine rebounds in another strong game against the Knicks, and Tracy McGrady added 24 points in the Houston Rockets' 97–90 victory over the Knicks last night.

Rafter Alston finished with 17 points for the Rockets, who beat the Knicks for the fifth straight time, their longest winning streak ever during the series. Houston's coach, Jeff Van Gundy, improved to 7–1 against his former team.

The Knicks did a better job on Yao than last time, when he collected 35 points, 17 rebounds, and seven blocked shots in the Rockets' 104–93 victory in Houston on November 10. The 7-foot-6 Yao was only 6-of-14 from the floor — with one miss coming when 5-feet-9-inch Nate Robinson blocked him in the closing seconds of the third quarter.

But he had plenty of help from Mc-Grady, who scored 15 in the second half, including six during a decisive 10–1 surge in the fourth quarter. He also made three of Houston's 10 3-pointers.

The Rockets have won four straight at Madison Square Garden — all since Van Gundy became Houston coach.

Then again, just about everybody wins at the Garden these days — except the Knicks. The team fell to 1–5 at home despite 25 points from Jamal Crawford and 22 from Channing Frye.

With the game tied at 70 with less than 8 minutes to play, McGrady made a 3-pointer, and after Eddy Curry made one free throw, McGrady went 3-of-3 at the line for a 76–71 lead with 6:13 left. Yao's follow and dunk made it 80–71 with 4 1/2 to go, and the Rockets were never threatened again.

Neither team led by more than five points during a first half that included 10 ties and six lead changes. Yao knocked down a short turnaround jumper with 0.8 seconds left, giving him 15 points and the Rockets a 48–45 halftime advantage.

The Knicks got off to a sloppy start after the break — Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis were benched after 65 seconds following New York's two turnovers on the first two possessions — and Houston capitalized by building a 10-point lead with 7:53 remaining. The Knicks fought back, with Robinson's swat leading to a dunk by David Lee that made it 65–62 heading to the final period.