Rockets down Lakers, take top spot in West
Tracy McGrady had carried the Houston Rockets through their winning streak since Yao Ming went down with a foot injury.
On Sunday in Houston, it was everyone else’s turn to help him.
Rafer Alston scored 31 points and hit eight 3-pointers, both career highs, and the Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-92 to stretch their streak to 22 and claim sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.
Kobe Bryant scored 24 points for the Lakers and smothered McGrady on defense, helping hold the Houston star to 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting.
The rest of the Rockets made up for it. Shane Battier scored 14 points and shadowed Bryant most of the game, backup point guard Bobby Jackson added 19 points and Luis Scola had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
“There wasn’t a time where we wavered from successful team basketball,” Battier said. “Different guys hit shots and we tightened the reins on defense.”
The Rockets have won 26 of their last 27 games and 31 of their last 34. They’ve won 15 straight at the Toyota Center, 10 straight since Yao went out with a broken foot and 11 of their last 13 games by double digits.
Houston haven’t been beaten since a 97-89 loss to Utah on Jan. 27.
“Let’s keep it going,” McGrady said. “This was a good test for us. We came out and took care of business.”
Critics continue to dismiss Houston’s streak as a fluke, saying the Rockets have played a bunch of bad teams. McGrady hopes this win silences some of the skeptics, even though the Lakers were missing Pau Gasol, who’s out indefinitely with a sprained ankle.
“This was really all about how good the Rockets are,” McGrady said. “This is what this game was about, the Lakers coming in here at the top of the Western Conference. This game determined where we are. We answered those questions, we took on that challenge and we’re standing alone.”
Alston had 16 points in the first quarter and Houston’s reserves scored 25 in the first half.
Mavericks 98, Heat 73: At Miami, Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points before sitting out most of the second half and Dallas stormed out to a huge early lead on the way to beating the hapless Heat.
Josh Howard added 15 for the Mavericks, who led by 20 points midway through the opening quarter and have beaten the Heat in each of the teams’ past eight regular-season meetings.
Hawks 109, Knicks 98: At New York, Joe Johnson had 28 points and 11 assists and Atlanta moved into a tie for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a victory over the Knicks.
Cavaliers 98, Bobcats 91: At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 33 points and the Cavaliers held off a late Charlotte rally to defeat the Bobcats.
Jason Richardson led Charlotte with 33 points.
Pistons 105, Hornets 84: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Jarvis Hayes scored 29 points, including a career-high seven 3-pointers, and Detroit routed New Orleans.
The Pistons have won four of five, while the Hornets lost for just the second time in seven games.
Kings 106, Raptors 100: At Sacramento, Calif., Kevin Martin scored 32 points and had eight rebounds to help the Kings hold off Toronto.
Ron Artest added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Mikki Moore scored 17 for the Kings, who have won three of four games.