Rockets rout Sonics
HOUSTON – Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are finally healthy and the Houston Rockets are starting to resemble the team they were expected to be this season.
McGrady scored 36 points and Yao added 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Rockets to a 100-77 win over the Seattle SuperSonics on Friday night.
“We had great intensity from the start of the game,” McGrady said. “If we consistently do that, we’ll be all right.”
McGrady topped 30 points for the fifth time since missing five games with back spasms. Yao went 9 for 19 and blocked two shots in his third game since a 21-game layoff following toe surgery.
The Rockets improved to 11-6 when their All-Star duo plays together.
“It starts always with our two best guys and their energy level,” Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said.
Ray Allen scored 23 points and Rashard Lewis added 21 for Seattle, which committed 20 turnovers and got outrebounded 50-40.
“It was a tough night,” said Seattle coach Bob Hill. “We stunk it up.”
The game opened a four-game road trip for Seattle, which continues tonight in Dallas.
“It’s disappointing to start this road trip this way, especially to a team we thought we could beat,” Lewis said. “We only have four games on this trip and I thought we gave this one away.”
The Sonics, allowing an NBA-worst 107 points per game, gave up 100 points for the fifth straight game.
“I feel like we weren’t playing hard,” said Lewis, who went to high school in Houston.
“We were just kind of going through the motions.”