Yao, McGrady get double-doubles in 119-108 win

OAKLAND, Calif.(AP) Tracy McGrady tested his
sore left knee during a recent practice, pronounced himself fit and
then produced one of his best offensive nights of the season.McGrady
just missed a triple-double in his return to the court, Yao Ming had 19
points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State
Warriors 119-108 Friday night."I felt pretty good,'' McGrady
said. "The second half I came out a little rusty, but for the most part
I was feeling good, making shots and rebounding. I was trying to do a
little extra for us because of how hard I was working to try and get
back. I got in a nice little groove.''McGrady, who missed the
last seven games with soreness in his left knee, had 24 points, 10
rebounds and nine assists as the Rockets improved to 15-8, their best
record after 23 games since the 1996-97 team started 21-2. Luis Scola
had 19 points and Carl Landry scored 18."We did a decent job at
maintaining our concentration defensively and we attacked the basket,''
Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "I was hoping to get (McGrady) out of
the game earlier but in some ways if he can play through it, it's OK.''Andris
Biedrins had 18 points and 12 rebounds in his ninth double-double in 10
home games for the Warriors, who had their two-game winning streak
snapped. Anthony Randolph had his first career double-double with 15
points and 10 rebounds. C.J. Watson added 17 points."Yao demands
a lot of attention and he's one of the best big men out there,''
Warriors guard Jamal Crawford said. "Then you have McGrady, Scola, all
those guys you've got to worry about.''The Rockets took control
after outscoring Golden State 20-7 during a six-minute stretch of the
second quarter to take a 61-50 halftime advantage."We just did a good job of moving the ball,'' Landry said. "We executed our plays and did a great job of finishing.''Anthony
Morrow also scored 15 points for the Warriors (7-16), who are off to
their worst start since opening 6-17 in 2000-01. He also tried to guard
McGrady."He's a guy I looked up to growing up,'' Morrow said. "It was fun but at the same time I took a business approach.''Stephen
Jackson, playing with a sprained left hand, missed all seven of his
shots in the third quarter, finished with eight points, and did not
play in the final period. Golden State fell to 0-11 when he fails to
score at least 20 points.Houston, which has a four-game winning streak over the Warriors, took a 92-75 lead into the fourth quarter.Notes:
Watson will miss Wednesday's game at Indiana to attend the funeral of
his uncle, who passed away in Las Vegas recently. G DeMarcus Nelson,
inactive for 14 consecutive games, will be available on Wednesday. ...
Rockets F Ron Artest missed his second game of the last three with a
sprained right ankle. ... Houston G Brent Barry practiced on Thursday
but will continue to miss games with a torn calf muscle. ... Golden
State F's Ronny Turiaf and Brandan Wright both missed the game because
of the flu. ... The Rockets recorded season highs with a 93.8 free
throw percentage and 26 assists.