Houston Rockets Wins 4th in a row!
3/8/2006 Houston-- Coming off of an terrific defense game yesterday in Minnesota, the Houston Rockets played there most inspiring game of the season.
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 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.
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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