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joec32033
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Houston (6-4) at New York (4-7)
Preview - Box Score - Recap
Game Info: 7:30 pm EST Mon Nov 20, 2006
TV: FxSW, MSG Add to Calendar
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By MIKE VOTTA, STATS Senior Writer
Yao Ming looks to dominate the New York Knicks for the second time in 10 days when the Houston Rockets visit Madison Square Garden on Monday.
Yao grabbed a season-best 17 rebounds, matched a career high with seven blocked shots and scored 35 points -- one off his season high -- in the Rockets' 103-94 victory over the Knicks on Nov. 10. New York's Eddy Curry matched up with Yao for most of the night, managing only seven points and five rebounds.
"Oh, man, it was bad out there," said Curry, whose team has lost four straight against the Rockets. "But you've got to give credit to Yao. He played me great. ...
"He's never been that active. Man, playoff form, All-Star form, I don't know. I've never seen Yao like that."
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Yao has averaged 24.7 points and 10.2 rebounds in his last six games against the Knicks, and enters this matchup off to the best start of his career. He's averaging 26.4 points and 10.4 boards -- both career highs -- and has four double-doubles in his last five games.
The 7-foot-6 center had 33 points and 16 rebounds on Saturday in the Rockets' 104-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Guard Tracy McGrady scored 25 points, but no other Houston players reached double digits. The Rockets (6-4) had won five of their previous six games.
"I'm very disappointed," McGrady said. "We talked about it, and we know what the problem is, because it has been the same thing all the time. We give ourselves a chance to win on the road, and then we lose it in the fourth quarter."
Yao's emergence this season has allowed McGrady to focus less on scoring and more on involving the rest of the team in the offense. McGrady, who has averaged at least 24 points over the past six seasons, is scoring just 19.4 per contest this season, but is averaging a career-best 6.1 assists.
Against the Knicks, he missed eight of 12 field goal attempts, but had eight assists.
"If (Yao) keeps playing the way he's playing and my teammates keep shooting the ball the way they are, I don't have to average 25 points," McGrady told the Rockets' official Web site. "I'm spreading the love around. I'm going to continue to pass the ball around if those guys continue to make shots."
The Knicks (4-7) lost for the first time in three games on Saturday, falling 122-118 to the Boston Celtics. Jamal Crawford had 37 points and fellow reserve Nate Robinson added 19 for New York, which has scored at least 100 points in each of its last three games.
"We're at home, and it speaks for itself," said coach Isiah Thomas, who was ejected for the first time this season in the fourth quarter for arguing a foul call. "Boston was a lot better at playing small than we were. They were just better than we were tonight, and you have to give them credit."
Steve Francis, who played for the Rockets from 1999-2004, including two seasons with Yao, did not play against Houston earlier this month because of a sprained left ankle. However, he has scored 32 points in the last two games.
Updated on Sunday, Nov 19, 2006 7:59 pm EST
Team Comparison
Team /Record/ Standings/ PF/ PA/ Road/Home/ Streak / L10
Houston /6-4/ 3rd Southwest / 7th West /95.1 /91.4/ Road 3-3/ Lost 1 /6-4
New York /4-7/ 4th Atlantic / 11th East /100.8 /102.3 /Home 1-4 /Lost 1 /3-7
Houston Notes
Nov 19 C Yao Ming's 16 rebounds were one short of the season high he set against New York on November 11. ... His 17 free throws were the highest by any member of the Rockets this season. ... Houston has let a double-digit lead slip away twice in its last three games. The Rockets led by 13 points in the first half Saturday. On Tuesday, they lost to San Antonio after leading by 19. ... G Bonzi Wells was inactive for the eighth time in Houston's 10 games. ... Houston has lost its last six games against Detroit.
New York Notes
Nov 19 The Knicks are facing a month filled with games against teams with experienced big men but the Boston Celtics are not one of them. C Eddy Curry should have had a big game and it looked that way early as he had a pair of dunks in New York's 10-0 run to start the game. But he faded and finished with seven points on 2-of-9 from the floor, marking just the third time he has been held to single digits. "If I had a better game, we would have had a better chance to win," Curry said. ... F Quentin Richardson's 0-of-9 performance was two misses short of the worst shooting night of his career. When he was with Phoenix, Richardson went 0-of-11 from the floor on January 14, 2005 vs. Indiana. ... G Steve Francis was the only starter to score in double figures as the bench scored 77 points. ... G Jamal Crawford's 37 points off the bench is the tied with Earl Monroe for the third-most in team history. Monroe scored 37 in a 121-119 loss at Boston on November 25, 1977.
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Y. Ming HOU 26.4
J. Crawford NYK 16.9
Assists
T. McGrady HOU 6.1
S. Marbury NYK 5.0
Rebounds
Y. Ming HOU 10.4
D. Lee NYK 8.6
[Edited by - joec32033 on 11-20-2006 11:53 AM]
[Edited by - joec32033 on 11-20-2006 11:54 AM]
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11/20/2006 10:43 AM
