Yao Ming gets best of Yi as Rockets dominate Nets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.(AP) While Yao Ming won
the showdown with fellow Chinese Olympian Yi Jianlian, the Houston
Rockets beat the New Jersey Nets with defense and a boost from the
smallest player on the court.Yao had 24 points and 16 rebounds
and Aaron Brooks tied his career high with 22 points as the Rockets won
their season-high fourth straight game with a 114-91 victory over the
Nets on Monday night in a game televised live to China."Yao played big minutes and they didn't have any answer for him,'' Rockets coach Rick Adelman said.The Nets didn't have any answers at all in losing for the sixth time in eight games.With
Yao clogging the lane, the Rockets limited the Nets to a season-low 13
points in the first quarter and were never threatened again. Houston
shot 58 percent for the game, including 9-of-19 from 3-point range.The
Rockets totally shut down the Nets' 1-2 punch of Devin Harris and Vince
Carter, limiting them to 10 points apiece on 7 of 24 shooting with no
3-pointers. They had a combined scoring average of 47.3 points entering
the game, the highest scoring backcourt in the league."Devin and
Vince are very good players and we were able to defend them,'' Yao
said. "That's how we won the game. If we play defense like that, there
is less pressure on me. We were in a lot of help defenses and we all
helped out to shut those guys down.''Yi also struggled in the game against his countryman, scoring 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting.Brooks
was outstanding in providing some unexpected offense. The 6-footer
started for the fifth straight game and hit 8 of 14 shots, including 4
of 7 from 3-point range. His first long ball banked in."If I can
bank a three, then I know I can make the next one on my own,'' Brooks
said. "I had some good looks. Yao and T-Mac command so much attention
that makes it easier for me.''Adelman said Brooks is starting to find himself in his second season."With
Aaron I always felt he was going to do a very good job,'' Adelman said.
"The most important thing was that he got confidence and become
aggressive and not afraid to take shots. It's going to bode well for
him in the future.''Keyon Dooling had 17 points to lead New Jersey, which trailed by 27 points in the second half."This
was a tough one,'' Carter said. "This was a tough night for us. We
definitely needed a win. This was an opportunity for us to see where we
are and how far we have come.''The 10 points were a season-low
for Harris, who has emerged as one of the league's top point guards
less than a year after being acquired in a trade for Jason Kidd.Tracy
McGrady added 12 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Rockets,
who won for the eighth time in 10 games. Carl Landry added 13 points.Houston
never trailed after McGrady hit a jumper to snap a 4-all tie. Luis
Scola scored in the lane against Yi and Brooks followed with his banked
3-pointer to push the lead to 11-4.After Yi followed a miss by
Harris, Brooks converted a four-point play and McGrady hit two free
throws to give Houston a 17-6 lead.Brooks finished with 11
points in the quarter, and closing out the period by setting up Landry
for a layup in the final seconds for one of the six assists by the
6-footer."They came out with a little more energy,'' Harris said. "We looked dead tonight.''Houston
led by 23 points in the second quarter and the Nets never got closer
than 16 in the third. The fourth quarter was mostly garbage time for
the reserves.Notes: The Yao-Yi matchup was televised to China
live by the nation's largest network. The Nets distributed about 40
credentials to international members of the media. ... The Rockets had
61 points in the first half, the sixth time they have scored 60 or more
points in a half. ... Houston has won 11 straight road games vs.
Eastern Conference opponents dating to last season. The Nets played
without Bobby Simmons, who went to Chicago for the pending birth of his
child.