NBA Game Summary - Portland at Houston

Houston, TX (Basketball News) - Yao Ming scored 23 points and Juwan Howard added 17 with 11 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets past Portland, 81-80, at the Toyota Center.

Tracy McGrady finished with 18 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who have won seven straight games for the first time in almost six years.

Damon Stoudamire scored 25 points to lead the Trail Blazers, who have lost three straight. Joel Przybilla had 14 points and 11 boards in the loss.

The Rockets had not trailed since early in the first quarter, but were down by two after a jumper by Derek Anderson gave Portland the lead late in the final frame. Houston, however, answered with seven straight points to pull away for the win.

McGrady scored to tie the game at 72-72 and went to the line after his off- balance shot banked in off the glass. He missed the free throw, but the Rockets had possession after a scramble for the rebound went out of bounds off Portland. The Rockets took advantage, as Darius Miles was called for goaltending on a shot by Yao and a technical foul for hanging on the rim. Yao completed the three-point play for a 75-72 lead.

Bob Sura drove to the basket and scored to cap the run with the Rockets ahead, 77-72 with 37 seconds left.

Portland would not go away. Stoudamire and Miles each hit a three-pointer in the final 10 seconds to pull Portland within one, 81-80. Houston inbounded the ball with 3.1 left and David Wesley was fouled and went to the line with two seconds remaining. After missing the first shot, Wesley intentionally missed the second. Portland had no timeouts and Stoudamire’s desperation heave from midcourt bounced off the rim as time expired.

Houston led by as many as 18, but Anderson’s second three-pointer of the fourth quarter tied the game at 70-70 with two minutes left.

The Rockets extended a 16-point halftime lead to, 52-34 midway through the third quarter, but Portland fought back.

The Trail Blazers answered with a 15-2 run capped by a three-pointer by Stoudamire to pull within five with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. The Rockets held on and took a 57-49 lead into the final frame.

Wesley was fouled trying to get off a long desperation shot just before the end of the second quarter and made all three free throws to extend the Rockets’ lead to 44-28 at the break.

Houston shot 39 percent from the field in the opening half and were 0-for-7 from three-point range in the opening 24 minutes. McGrady and Yao combined for 21 points to help Houston take a 16-point lead.

The Trail Blazers were a dismal 9-for-31 from the floor in the first half and were outrebounded, 29-18.

"We got the win but when you have a team down like that you’ve got to keep them down," said McGrady. "We shouldn’t have been in that situation. It was ugly. I don’t want to actually say what it was because it was too ugly."