Los Angeles - Trying to guard Chinese superstar Yao Ming, Dwight Howard thought he was in a fairy tale. The 7-6 Yao racked up 22 points and 13 rebounds while Howard was saddled with foul trouble Saturday night as the Houston Rockets held on for a 100-95 victory over the host Orlando Magic, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
"It's like a big beanstalk," Howard said. "You have got to chop ... just kidding."
Maybe Howard was chopping too hard. After collecting three fouls in the first half, he picked up his fourth early in the third quarter and spent a lot of time on the bench. He was limited to 27 minutes and had 13 points and nine boards.
"Not having him on the court is a huge, huge difference for them at both ends of the court," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "It's just one of those things that happened."
"It is getting harder and harder every year to play against (Howard)," Yao said. "He is getting stronger and learning new skills."
Yao scored 10 points in the first 4 1/2 minutes, setting an early tone. He had 16 in the first half. Meanwhile, Howard spent most of the first half watching and had just four points.
"We didn't give (Yao) any resistance at all and he got going," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Yao is a very good player and early in the game we were letting him catch the ball way too deep."
Despite Howard's troubles, the Magic still held a 53-51 halftime lead. Yao did not score in the third quarter, but the Rockets took a 73-71 lead into the final period.
A free throw by Howard gave Orlando an 83-83 tie with 6:13 to go before Houston took control. Ron Artest answered with a 3-pointer to give the Magic the lead for good, and Yao asserted himself down the stretch.
Yao's layup pushed the lead to 90-85 with 4:45 left. After a 3-pointer by Orlando's Rashard Lewis, Yao had a tip-in, Artest made a jumper and Yao added a jumper for a 96-90 advantage with 1:52 remaining.
"I think he is probably one of the best shooting bigs in the NBA," Howard said. "His turnaround jump shot, nobody can block it unless you are 7-8. It's tough."
The Magic had just one basket in the final 4 1/2 minutes, killing any chance of a comeback.
"It is a good road win," said Yao, who made 9-of-15 shots. "We try and play with much better team discipline and team defense."
Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston scored 17 points apiece and Artest and Carl Landry added 11 each for the Rockets, who shot 48 percent (40-of-83) and won for the fourth time in five games.
Jameer Nelson scored 21 points and Lewis added 18 for the Magic, who shot just 41 percent (33-of-81) as they played without Turkish star Hedo Turkoglu, out with the flu.
"A lot is riding on Yao," said McGrady, who is playing despite a sore knee. "We are leaning on him. I am handicapped right now."
New Jersey 112, LA Clippers 95=
Yao wasn't the only Chinese player leading his team to victory. Yi Jianlian scored a season-high 27 points as the host Nets ran away from the Clippers, who have dropped five of six.
Yi made 9-of-15 shots, including three 3-pointers. He had scored just 23 points in his last four games.
"Yi really came to play tonight," said Vince Carter, who added 26 points as the Nets won for the fourth time in five games. "For Yi to be the catalyst for us tonight was what we needed."
New Orleans 109, Oklahoma City 97=
David West scored 33 points and Chris Paul added 29, 16 assists and 10 rebounds as the host Hornets beat the Thunder for the second time in as many nights and spoiled the coaching debut of Scott Brooks, who replaced the fired P.J. Carlesimo earlier Saturday.
Phoenix 102, Portland 92=
In their first matchup, Shaquille O'Neal overwhelmed Greg Oden as the host Suns got past the Trail Blazers. O'Neal had 19 points and 17 rebounds while Oden had just five points, one rebound and five fouls.
Cleveland 110, Atlanta 96=
LeBron James scored 24 points and helped hold Joe Johnson to just four as the Cavaliers built a big lead over the visiting Hawks and cruised to their ninth win in 10th games.
Miami 109, Indiana 100=
Flu-ridden Dwayne Wade had 38 points and eight assists to help the host Heat overcome a 15-point deficit. Marquis Daniels scored 25 points for the Pacers, who have lost four of five.
New York 122, Washington 117=
Quentin Richardson scored 34 points and Nate Robinson added 27 - both season highs - as the host Knicks used just seven players to outlast the reeling Wizards (1-10), who have lost five in a row.
Utah 103, Memphis 94=
Turkey's Mehmet Okur scored 23 points as the visiting Jazz knocked off the Grizzlies, who got 23 points from rookie O.J. Mayo.
Milwaukee 79, Charlotte 74=
Australia's Andrew Bogut collected 12 points and 17 rebounds to help the Bucks deal the host Bobcats their fourth consecutive setback. dpa-prl tl
230527 GMT Nov 08
