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MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin: Yao Ming had 12 points and 12 rebounds as the
Houston Rockets beat Milwaukee 91-83 in just the second meeting
between the giant center and his Chinese compatriot Yi Jianlian.
An estimated 200 million people watched the game
worldwide—more than are expected to watch Sunday’s American
gridiron championship Super Bowl.
Rockets Tracy McGrady led all scorers with 33
points while Bonzi Wells and Rafer Alston added 10 points each for
Houston, which completed its third consecutive season-series sweep
of Milwaukee.
Yi, who is in his first NBA season, finished
with a respectable six points for the Bucks, who are losers of 10 of
their last 13 games.
Winners of seven of their last eight, the
Rockets went on a commanding 14-4 run over a 10-minute stretch
between the second and third quarters to forge a 48-37 advantage.
McGrady scored 10 in the run.
The Bucks battled back before the third quarter
concluded as Mo Williams scored nine of his 13 points in helping
Milwaukee slice its deficit to 64-61.
Charlie Villanueva scored six of Milwaukee’s
first eight fourth-quarter points, including a putback with 9:47
left to take a 69-68 lead—its first of the second half.
But Houston closed the game out an impressive
23-14 surge with McGrady scoring eight straight points at one stage.
Yao and the Rockets won the first meeting
between the Chinese stars 104-88 on November 9 in Houston.
-- AFP
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