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Yao Ming boosts Rockets to quick NBA start
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-31 08:48 HOUSTON: China's Yao Ming scored 21 points with 10 rebounds on Wednesday to help lift the Houston Rockets to an 81-71 victory over Memphis in the National Basketball Association season opener for both teams.
Tracy McGrady added 16 points for houston, and Ron Artest scored 16 points in his debut for the Rockets. Memphis had a 65-64 lead with 9:06 left to play, but the Grizzlies went without a basket for more than five minutes as Houston took a 71-66 edge with 4:23 remaining. Rafer Alston's three pointer with the shot clock ticking down extended Houston's lead to 78-71 with 37 seconds left as the Rockets won their eighth straight home opener. In Washington, Vince Carter scored 21 points to lead his rebuilding New Jersey Nets to a 95-85 season-opening victory over a Wizards team missing Gilbert Arenas. Carter, elected captain before the game, made a 16-foot fadeaway jumper over Caron Butler to put the visitors ahead 90-82 with a minute left and effectively settle the game. Carter had plenty of help, with 17 points from Yi Jianlian and 14 from former Wizards player Jarvis Hayes. Six Wizards scored in double-figures, led by Jamison and DeShawn Stevenson with 14 apiece. All-Star forward Caron Butler shot 3-for-11 and finished with 13 points. On the second night of the new season, Oklahama City welcomed the NBA to town, but the Milwaukee Bucks played spoiler at the festivities with a 98-87 victory over the Thunder. Charlie Villanueva had 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Bucks led from the start. Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson added 20 points apiece for the Bucks, who bounced back from a 108-95 defeat in Chicago on Tuesday. NBA commissioner David Stern and Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett were on hand for the pre-game show as the club celebrated its first game in Oklahoma City since relocating from Seattle in the offseason. The second night of the season saw some old rivalries renewed. Stoudemire lifts Suns Amare Stoudemire scored seven of his team-high 22 points in the final three minutes to help the Phoenix Suns start the season with a 103-98 victory over Western Conference rivals the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The Suns, who were eliminated from the playoffs by the Spurs in three of the last four seasons, conceded 32 points to both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in a season-opening thriller. With the contest tied at 94-94 with 2:53 remaining, Stoudemire took over with a three-point play, a dunk and a layup that pushed Phoenix's advantage to 101-94. The All-Star forward went 8-for-11 from the field, sixth-man Leandro Barbosa contributed 18 points off the bench, and point guard Steve Nash added 13 points and 13 assists for the Suns, playing their first game under new head coach Terry Porter. "I thought we executed well tonight," Nash told reporters. "We ran the pick-and-roll and got some stops after (the Spurs) shot a good percentage early." Center Shaquille O'Neal recorded a double-double, with 15 points and 13 rebounds and overcame San Antonio's use of the "hack-a-Shaq", or off-the-ball fouls to hamper the seven-footer's ability to score. Playing without Argentinean guard Manu Ginobili, out for an extended time with an ankle injury, San Antonio leaned heavily on their two All-Stars, Parker and Duncan. Duncan scored his team's first eight points of the second half, and tallied 11 in the third quarter where the Spurs trailed just 74-73 heading into the fourth. In Detroit, the Pistons defeated the Indiana Pacers 100-94. Tayshaun Prince scored 19 points and Richard Hamilton added 15 for the Pistons, offsetting a 33-point performance by Indiana's Danny Granger. Agencies |
