NEW YORK, 19 January 2004 — Yao Ming kept up his sparkling form by scoring 22 points and hauling down 15 rebounds to power the Houston Rockets to a 95-76 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
Yao has recorded a personal NBA first by picking up at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in three straight games. The Chinese center also posted his 17th double-double of the season.
“He (Yao) can score in a number of ways,” Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy told reporters. “He had a bit of a lull there for four or five games but recently he’s really played well.”
Steve Francis notched 19 points for the host Rockets while teammates Maurice Taylor had 16, Cuttino Mobley 13, Jim Jackson 11 and Kelvin Cato 10.
The Timberwolves had their five-game winning streak snapped. Sam Cassell led Minnesota with 25 points while Kevin Garnett added 19 and Latrell Sprewell 13.
Minnesota scored only 26 points in the first half and trailed by as many as 30 in the second period.
In East Rutherford, Jermaine O’Neal totaled 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers beat the New Jersey Nets, 90-84.
Al Harrington added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who held the Nets to 29 points in the second half to win a showdown of division leaders.
Ron Artest contributed 18 points for the Pacers, who have beaten the San Antonio Spurs and the Nets on consecutive nights, the two teams that met for the NBA title last season.
Jason Kidd had 21 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds for the Nets, who had a meager haul of 10 points in the final quarter. Kenyon Martin added 17 points for New Jersey.
In Chicago, Keith Van Horn scored 24 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, to give the New York Knicks a 101-96 win over the Bulls.
New York improved to 2-0 under new coach Lenny Wilkens while winning its third straight game. Allan Houston bagged 26 points for the Knicks while Stephon Marbury had 18 points and eight assists.
The Knicks won for only the second time in 12 attempts this season when trailing after three quarters. Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry both had 20 points for the Bulls, who could not hold a 75-70 lead in the final session.
In Washington, 27 points from Larry Hughes led the Wizards to their first victory in four games, 99-84 over the Seattle SuperSonics.
Jarvis Hayes added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards. Ray Allen tallied 19 points for the Sonics, losers of four straight.
In Philadelphia, Allen Iverson poured in 34 points but it was not enough as the Memphis Grizzlies edged the 76ers 91-87. Glenn Robinson added 20 points for the 76ers while Pau Gasol led Memphis with 16.
In Atlanta, Shareef Abdur-Rahim claimed 20 points to guide the Hawks to a 75-70 triumph over the Toronto Raptors. Donyell Marshall had 16 points for Toronto, which played without the injured Vince Carter.
In New Orleans, Steve Smith recorded 17 points off the bench to lift the Hornets to a narrow 91-90 win over the Orlando Magic. Tracy McGrady amassed 33 points to lead all scorers but he missed a shot with less than a second left that could have won the game for Orlando.
In Milwaukee, Chauncey Billups scored 26 points to steer the Detroit Pistons to their 12th straight victory, 99-94 over the Bucks. Ben Wallace added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons while Milwaukee’s Michael Redd led all scorers with 30 points.
In Salt Lake City, the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Utah Jazz 102-96 in overtime thanks to 32 points and 18 rebounds from Carlos Boozer. LeBron James added 29 points for the Cavs while Andrei Kirilenko led the Jazz with 27 points.
In Portland, Michael Finley piled up 33 points and Dirk Nowitzki 32 as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 108-104. Ruben Patterson topped Portland with 24 points.
In Los Angeles, Slava Medvedenko scored 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers overcame the absence of Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone to squeeze past the Clippers 91-89. Gary Payton added 15 points and 12 assists for the Lakers. Elton Brand replied with 37 points and 19 rebounds for the Clippers.
