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Yao's 38 rallys Rockets to 4th straight win
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-09 14:21
HOUSTON (AP) - Yao Ming scored a season-high 38 points and grabbed 10
rebounds, and the Houston Rockets rallied from 17 points down in the third
quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 103-99 on Wednesday night.
Yao Ming gets
tangled up with the Indiana Pacers' Scot Pollard in the third
quarter. [AP] | Yao topped 30 points for the third
straight game, went 10-for-10 from the free throw line and blocked five shots
for the Rockets, who've won seven of their last nine.
Peja Stojakovic
scored 29 points and Stephen Jackson added 23 for the Pacers, who led 86-69 with
3:48 left in the third quarter, then collapsed.
A Houston comeback appeared unlikely after Tracy McGrady went to the bench
with more back trouble 2 minutes into the third quarter. McGrady missed
Tuesday's win at Minnesota with a sore back.
Yao went to the bench for a rest with 2:14 left in the quarter and the
Rockets started their run without their stars.
Juwan Howard, who scored 16, hit a jump shot and two free throws, and Keith
Bogans hit a driving layup to cut Indiana's lead to 88-79 heading to the fourth.
The Pacers shot 48 percent (30-of-62) through the first three quarters, then
missed 21 of 25 shots in the final quarter.
The Rockets hit their first four shots in the fourth quarter and Stromile
Swift's dunk after Bogans' steal gave Houston a 95-94 lead.
The Rockets led 98-97 and could've extended the lead, but coughed up
turnovers on three straight possessions. Stojakovic sneaked in for a layup off
an inbound play to give Indiana a 99-98 lead with 58 seconds left.
Yao lost the ball, but blocked a shot at the other end to trigger a fast
break. Bogans, acquired from Charlotte on Feb. 9, finished it with a layup that
put the Rockets up to stay.
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