McGrady leads way as Rockets top Kings

Derek Anderson added 17 points and David Wesley tallied 12 points for the Rockets, who have won two straight and three of four after starting the season 3-11.

"It was good," said Anderson of the Rockets’ win to start their six-game road trip. "The first game is always important. You always want to get momentum going into the other games."

Mike Bibby scored 24 points and dished out six assists for the Kings, who blew a 14-point third-quarter lead to lose for the fifth straight time. Brad Miller added 21 points and eight rebounds for Sacramento, which scored just 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Down 79-73 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Rockets went on a 19-4 run to take control. Stromile Swift and Luther Head spearheaded the run, combining for 12 points during the surge, which was capped by a pair of Anderson free throws for a 92-83 lead with 4:37 left.

Much of the damage was done with McGrady on the bench. Head coach Jeff Van Gundy had him on the bench to rest him for the home stretch.

Sacramento later drew within 96-91 on a Miller jumper with 2:17 left. Miller then stripped Yao on the other end, but missed a jumped with 1:40 on the clock that could have made it a one-possession game.

McGrady hit a pair of free throws 15 seconds later to increase the lead to eight points and secure the win.

The Rockets trailed 31-29 after one quarter and went into halftime down 52-47.

The Kings began to mount a lead in the third, extending their lead to 72-58 on a Peja Stojakovic three-pointer with just over 4 1/2 minutes remaining until the fourth.

Houston, however, came storming back before the final stanza. Down by 13 points, 77-64, the Rockets ended the quarter with a 9-2 run to draw within 79-73. McGrady’s three-pointer at the buzzer made it a six-point game.

Bonzi Wells had 21 points for the Kings, who ended a four-game homestand winless.

Game Notes

This was the first time this season that the Rockets have won back-to-back games...Houston improved to 3-6 on the road...Sacramento fell to 6-7 at home...Houston has won both meetings this season and three straight dating back to last season against the Kings...Stojakovic had 15 points and seven boards.