Chinese star Yao Ming scored 38 points, 23 of them in the fourth
quarter after Tracy McGrady departed with back spasms, to lead the
Houston Rockets past Washington 114-109?on Saturday.
The 2.23-metre centre took command of the National Basketball
Association game by scoring Houston's first 12 points of the final
period after McGrady, who expects to return Tuesday, was sent to
the locker room.
"I had to do more work to put the team in a good position," Yao
said. "Tracy McGrady is the best player on our team. Somebody had
to step up."
Yao's season-high point total was only three points off his NBA
career high. He scored eight points during a 3:04 stretch of the
fourth quarter played in diminished brightness due to a lighting
malfunction.
The bulbs began shining, but Yao turned the lights out on the
Wizards, spoiling a 41-point performance by Gilbert Arenas.
"He obviously delivered," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said of
Yao. "He can have bad nights, but consistently he is going to
score."
Yao also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and swatted aside six
shots in nearly 40 minutes, sparking another solid performance by
the NBA's toughest defensive unit.
"Yao took over in the fourth quarter. That's what the big fellow
can do," said McGrady, who did not expect a long-term injury
absence.
"I feel pretty good. I'm confident I'll be back on the court
Tuesday. I'm not worried about it.
The Rockets won for the eighth time in 10 games and improved to
14-6, their best start since 1996 and trailing only Utah and San
Antonio among NBA rivals. The Wizards slid to 9-11.
(China Daily December 12, 2006)