Rockets continue tear through NBA

ATLANTA, Georgia: The Houston Rockets matched the second-longest win streak in National Basketball Association history Wednesday, beating the Atlanta Hawks 83-75 for their 20th victory in a row.

McGrady scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half while Shane Battier scored 15 and reserve Chuck Hayes contributed eight points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, who equaled the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks on the NBA all-time list.

"It's unbelievable - 20 in a row, especially at this level," McGrady said. "I really couldn't explain it."

"For me, to be on this team and winning 20 straight, it's going to be up there (in career achievements). There are many great things I've accomplished in this league. This is pretty special."

The Rockets, who improved to 8-0 since a season-ending foot injury to Chinese star center Yao Ming, will try to win their 21st game in a row Friday at home against Charlotte.

The only longer streak in NBA history than the current Rockets run is the league-record 33-game run by the Los Angeles Lakers from November 5, 1971 to January 7, 1972.

Houston improved to 44-20 to match San Antonio atop the Southwest division and the Rockets will play host to the Western Conference-leading Lakers (45-19) on Sunday and entertain NBA season-leader Boston on Tuesday.

"The Rockets have won 20 games straight," said 16-year NBA veteran Dikembe Mutombo of the Democratic Republic of Congo. "All the critics can kiss my (rear)."

Should the Rockets continue their winning ways, they could break the Lakers' mark in four weeks when they host Seattle on April 9.

Atlanta's Joe Johnson made two free throws to pull Atlanta within 71-70 with five minutes to play, but Houston scored the next 10 points to secure the victory.

"I didn't want them to get to 20 games," Hawks rookie center Al Horford said. "It's something you obviously don't see every day. I really don't know (how far they can go). It will be interesting to see if it stands up."

McGrady scored six points, including a 3-pointer with 1:52 to play to complete the run, and assisted on another basket in the pivotal spurt.

The Rockets produced a season-low 32 points in the first half but rallied from a 14-4 deficit at the start to capture the victory.

Johnson scored 28 points while Josh Smith had 16 and a career-high 22 rebounds for the Hawks, who were able to deny the Rockets an NBA record by preventing Houston from winning an 11th game in a row by 10 or more points.

"We knew this was going to be a tough game but our guys stayed mentally tough," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "It's great to get the win, not only because of the streak but also to continue positioning ourselves in the playoff hunt."

The Boston Celtics won their 10th game in a row with a 111-82 win over the Seattle SuperSonics.

The New Orleans Hornets moved to within a halfgame of the lead in the Southwest Division with a convincing 100-75 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Charlotte Bobcats for the eighth consecutive time with a 118-93 win, ending Charlotte's five-game winning streak.

The Orlando Magic scored a 110-88 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The New York Knicks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 91-88 win over the Miami Heat (11-52).

The Philadelphia 76ers handed Detroit a rare home-court loss with an 83-82 victory over the Pistons.

The New Jersey Nets overcame 42 points from LeBron James to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-99.

AFP/Agencies

(China Daily 03/14/2008 page24)