McGrady’s 35 points lift Rockets
Tracy McGrady scored 26 of his 35 points in the second half, and the Houston Rockets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 95-88 Thursday night at Portland.
The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Houston. The Rockets, once atop the Western Conference with a 22-game winning streak, are in fifth place with the Phoenix Suns.
The Rockets have won five straight against the Blazers, including four in a row this season. No other team has beat Portland four times this season.
Rookie Aaron Brooks’ 3-pointer with 3:06 left made it 91-78 for Houston and all but sealed the victory, as fans started streaming out of the Rose Garden.
Brooks had 12 points for Houston. Bobby Jackson, Dikembe Mutombo and Luther Head each had 11 apiece.
The Blazers have lost four straight, and were officially eliminated from the playoffs with a 104-91 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 23 points, and Jarrett Jack added 19 for the Blazers.
Bulls 101, Cavaliers 98: At Cleveland, Ben Gordon made five clutch free throws down the stretch and Larry Hughes scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half against his former team, rallying Chicago to a win over the Cavaliers.
Kings 110, Clippers 98: At Sacramento, Calif., Kevin Martin hit four 3-pointers while scoring 26 points, and the Kings avoided a four-game sweep by last-place Los Angeles.
Around the league
Miami Heat forward Shawn Marion will miss the final seven games of the season because of a left foot injury. … Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin was suspended for one game without pay for exceeding the flagrant foul points total with five. … The Seattle SuperSonics signed Ronald Dupree to a 10-day contract after the team decided not to re-sign Eddie Gill after his 10-day deal expired. Coach P.J. Carlesimo also said that center Mouhamed Sene was being sent back to Idaho of the NBA Development League for the remainder of the season. … The Portland Trail Blazers may get Brandon Roy back after all. The All-Star guard could return as soon as Sunday’s home game with San Antonio, Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.