Yao’s 38 powers Rockets past Wizards

Tracy McGrady chipped in 28 points for the Rockets, who have won two in a row and four of five. McGrady had to leave the game in the third quarter with back spasms, though, and did not return. Rafer Alston and Luther Head contributed 12 points apiece while Shane Battier and Juwan Howard scored 10 points each for Houston.

Antawn Jamison scored 27 and pulled down 11 boards for the Wizards, who had a three-game winning streak snapped with the loss. Caron Butler scored 17 and raked in 10 boards for Washington.

"It was a tough loss for us, but there were some positives. The effort was there," said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan.

Arenas missed a three with 10 seconds left with the Wizards trailing 112-109, and Battier hit two free throws to finish off the win for the Rockets. Yao turned it on in the fourth quarter, keeping the Wizards at arms length by scoring 23 in the game’s final 12 minutes.

"I thought, obviously, he delivered," said Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy. "Teams can do a good job on him, but...guarded legally, he’s going to score."

Houston led at the end of the third quarter 80-75.

Jamison carried the Wizards in the first quarter, scoring 11 of Washington’s 23 points. He took over late in the quarter, scoring nine straight for the Wizards in the last 4:33. A three-pointer from Jarvis Hayes as time expired in the quarter gave the Wizards a 23-20 lead going into the second.

Arenas sprung to life in the second quarter, putting on a shooting display that netted him 19 points before halftime. With six minutes left in the quarter, Arenas only scored three points. He proceeded to score 16 straight, drilling four threes to keep the Wizards in the game, as they led 52-51 at the half.

Game Notes

The game was delayed nine-minutes between the third and fourth quarters due to a power malfunction with the lights at the Verizon Center...Houston has won four straight over Washington...Arenas hit 7-of-15 from three-point range, but only made 6-of-15 from inside the arc...Yao hit all six field goals he attempted in the fourth quarter, and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.