Yao, McGrady provide Rockets potent 1-2 punch
Houston Rockets center Yao Ming and guard Tracy McGrady have been called one of the NBA's best scoring tandems. The Charlotte Bobcats won't dispute that.
McGrady and Yao led the visiting Rockets back from a 7-point deficit in the fourth quarter to an 85-82 win on Sunday night.
Yao scored a season-high 34 points, including a pair of free throws with 20.4 seconds left to put Houston in the lead, and McGrady had 12 of his 26 points in the final period as the Rockets won their third straight game.
"I don't think there's a better 1-2 combination ... they might be the best combination since MJ (Michael Jordan) and (Scottie) Pippen," said Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace. "Tracy is a great offensive player ... and Yao Ming is basically what they call him, the Great Wall of China. Once he gets the ball, he's pretty much unstoppable."
Yao and McGrady combined to hit 22 of 35 from the field and 15 of 17 from the free-throw line for Houston, which saw its decisive 47-34 rebounding advantage offset by 20 turnovers. That made for a close game, with 15 lead changes and nine ties.
"This was a game that we should have lost, because we didn't play particularly well," McGrady said. "It just goes to show how good we can be. ... We found some way to keep ourselves in the game. When it mattered the most, myself and Yao brought it home."
Matt Carroll scored 17 points for the Bobcats, who saw their two-game winning streak snapped. Jason Richardson and Raymond Felton had 16 points each, Wallace scored 10 and Emeka Okafor finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Heat 75, Knicks 72: Jason Williams made the go-ahead jumper with 19 seconds left, and Miami earned its first victory of the season by beating host New York.
Trailing by five with 2½ minutes left, Udonis Haslem made consecutive baskets for the Heat. After Stephon Marbury threw the ball away, Williams knocked down his jumper for a 73-72 lead.
The Knicks turned it over again trying to get the ball into Eddy Curry, and Williams added 2 free throws with 9.4 seconds remaining. Marbury then missed a potential tying 3.
Haslem finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat (1-5), the last Eastern Conference team to win after Washington beat Atlanta earlier Sunday.
Curry scored 19 points for the Knicks.
Hornets 93, Sixers 72: David West and Chris Paul each scored 16 points, Bobby Jackson had 12 and New Orleans snapped a two-game losing streak by beating host Philadelphia.
Peja Stojakovic added 10 points, and Tyson Chandler had 12 rebounds.
Samuel Dalembert had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers. Andre Iguodala scored 17, Kyle Korver had 13 and Reggie Evans grabbed 10 rebounds.
Wizards 101, Hawks 90: Caron Butler scored 24 points, and Washington avoided the first 0-6 start in franchise history with a win over host Atlanta.
All five Washington starters scored in double figures for the first time this season. Antawn Jamison had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Brendan Haywood also posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Josh Smith scored 23 points, Joe Johnson had 22 and Marvin Williams added 20 for Atlanta. Josh Childress, with 10 points, was the Hawks' other scorer in double figures.
Gilbert Arenas scored 18 points for Washington, and DeShawn Stevenson added 11.
Spurs 113, Bucks 88: Manu Ginobili scored 21 points, and host San Antonio routed Milwaukee.
Michael Finley added 17 points and Tim Duncan had 16 points for the Spurs.
Mo Williams scored 17 points for the Bucks, and Michael Redd had 14 points.
Pistons 107, Sonics 103: Richard Hamilton scored 10 of his season-high 32 points during a torrid first quarter, and Detroit held off a late charge to beat host Seattle, dropping the Sonics to 0-7.
Seattle was led by Kevin Durant's 19 points and 17 from fellow rookie Jeff Green.
Cavaliers 103, Clippers 95: Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 25 points, LeBron James added 22 and Cleveland rallied to beat the host Los Angeles Clippers.
Sam Cassell scored 28 points for the Clippers, who lost their second in a row after opening the season 4-0.