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DALLAS: Tracy McGrady scored 31 points to lead Houston over the
depleted Dallas Mavericks on Thursday as the Rockets stretched their
National Basketball Association (NBA) winning streak to 17 games.
The Rockets beat the Mavs, 113-98, to become
just the sixth team in league history to post 17 straight victories.
Rafer Alston added a season-high 24 points for
the Rockets, while the Mavericks had to make do without suspended
star Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player,
had been banned one game by the NBA for a hard foul he committed
during Monday’s 116-110 loss to the Utah Jazz, a foul that left
Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko with a sprained hip.
The Rockets improved to 5-0 without their own
post presence, Chinese center Yao Ming, who had NBA season-ending
surgery on Monday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot.
In Indiana, Argentina’s Manu Ginobili led all
scorers with 28 points as the San Antonio Spurs extended their
winning streak to 11 games with a victory over Indiana.
The Spurs beat the Pacers, 108-97, with
France’s Tony Parker adding 19 points and Spurs superstar Tim
Duncan nabbing 12 rebounds to make up for an indifferent shooting
night.
San Antonio led by only two after a close-fought
first half. But they took a commanding 84-69 lead in the third
quarter, in which Bruce Bowen scored six of his eight points on
back-to-back three-pointers.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was ejected 5:39 into
the second quarter for storming on the court while the ball was
still in play.
He was angered by two non-calls against the
Pacers under the Spurs basket. He had to be restrained as he
received two quick technicals from official Mark Wunderlich.
Popovich, who has guided San Antonio to four NBA
championships in 12 seasons, was escorted to the locker room, and
assistant Mike Budenholzer took over coaching duties for the Spurs.
-- AFP
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