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Rockets suffer second loss without McGrady; Yao had 17
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-09 14:09
After Alston missed a 3-pointer, Francis again drew in the Houston defense
and passed to Nelson at the top of the key. This time, Nelson drove to the
basket and hit an acrobatic layup over Yao with 51 seconds remaining.
Houston Rockets center Yao
Ming (L) defends the basket against Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson in
the second half of NBA action as the Magic beat the Rockets 76-74 in
Houston November 8, 2005.[Reuters]
| Yao and Alston missed point-blank shots in the last minute, epitomizing the
Rockets' struggles all night.
The Rockets went 18-of-19 from the free throw line, but 4-of-16 from 3-point
range.
An ugly first half ended with the Rockets up 39-38.
For the second straight game without McGrady, Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy
spent the opening half tinkering with lineups. Yao scored 10 in the first half
and Stromile Swift was Houston's best reserve, adding six points with five
rebounds.
Francis had 15 of Orlando's first-half points on 7-of-13 shooting as the rest
of the Magic went 9-of-26 from the field.
Yao picked up three fouls in the third quarter after
getting through the first half without getting any. The Rockets missed 10 of
their 15 third-quarter shots and trailed 55-52 heading to the fourth.
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