NBA Game Summary - LA Clippers at Houston

Houston, TX (Basketball News) - Yao Ming scored 29 points and hauled down 15 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets past the Los Angeles Clippers, 106-102, at the Toyota Center.

Tracy McGrady donated 26 points and five assists while David Wesley chipped in 21 points for Houston, which has won eight of its last 10 overall.

Elton Brand paced all scorers with 32 points and gathered 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost five straight games. Cuttino Mobley poured in 30 points while Sam Cassell finished with 13 points and nine assists in the loss.

The Rockets outscored LA 31-18 in the second quarter to assume a 59-45 halftime advantage. The teams traded leads in the early portion of the frame, but Houston ripped off a 12-2 run — which was capped by a Luther Head layup with 5:29 to go — that put them up 46-36. Houston gradually built its lead up from there.

The Clippers outworked the Rockets 31-21 in the third stanza to pull within four, 80-76, heading into the final 12 minutes. Brand’s jumper with 7:17 remaining in the quarter made it 63-56, and LA outscored its opponent 14-9 down the stretch to inch even closer.

The game remained close for much of the fourth quarter, but a 6-2 spurt in the latter stages helped seal it for Houston. McGrady started the mini-charge with an energizing alley-oop slam that put the Rockets up by nine with just over three minutes to play.

Then, after a pair of Mobley free throws, Juwan Howard hit a pair of his own from the stripe and Keith Bogans followed with a driving layup to make it 103-92 with 2:21 on the clock.

The Clippers mounted one final surge and moved to within three after a Mobley jumper with 18 ticks left, but Wesley buried one of his two free throws at the other end and then Howard came up with a game-clinching steal.