The Phanatic Magazine
Yao Ming poured in 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Houston Rockets demolished the Philadelphia 76ers, 124-74, at Wachovia Center.
Tracy McGrady added 21 points and doled out eight assists for the Rockets, who have six wins in their last seven games. Luther Head came off the bench to score 13 points while Chuck Hayes netted 12 and had 13 boards in the victory.
"We came out ready to play," McGrady said. "Our shots were not falling for us in the first quarter and we established our defense right away. We set the tone and we didn't look back."
With the victory, Houston remains in the fifth spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
Kyle Korver came off the bench and had 17 points for the sluggish 76ers, who have lost three of their last four games. Samuel Dalembert and Louis Williams each had 12 points for Philadelphia, which had a season low in points.
The loss drops the Sixers five games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
It was also the largest margin of defeat for the Sixers at home in team history.
"From the start of the game to the end of the game they just beat us," said Philadelphia head coach Maurice Cheeks. "From beginning to end, coaches to players. I have been in this league a long time and that is a good team over there, they are a very good basketball team. And it's like I told the team, they aren't 50 points better than us but it is a good team."
Houston stormed out of the gate and opened the contest on a 21-6 surge to take control of things early. Yao had six points during the stretch while McGrady capped the run with a three-pointer.
After the opening quarter, the Rockets led 32-15 paced by 12 points from McGrady.
Houston continued to run in front in the second stanza and went up by 21 points after Juwan Howard hit a running jumper in the lane to make it 46-25 with 7:12 to play in the quarter.
The Rockets, who shot 56.8 percent from the field in the first half, entered halftime with a 59-40 advantage.
Houston's lead ballooned to 32 points after McGrady drained a three-pointer to make it 81-49 with about five minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Rockets did not let up and upped their lead to 37 points after Hayes netted four straight points to make it 91-54 with about a minute remaining in the third. Houston then went into the final frame with a commanding 93-56 lead.
The Rockets outscored the Sixers 31-18 in the fourth quarter despite resting most of their starters.
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