SPORTS> Basketball
|
Yao, Artest lead Rockets past Mavericks 112-102
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-31 13:27 DALLAS – Yao Ming and Ron Artest powered a 16-2 run late in the fourth quarter, carrying the Houston Rockets to a 112-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night in the debut of new Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.
After Yao was fouled hard and caught a late elbow from Dallas' Josh Howard, Artest rushed between Yao and Howard. Officials quickly got involved, then decided to give Artest a technical foul. The Mavericks got within eight in the final minutes, then Dirk Nowitzki blocked a layup by Houston's Aaron Brooks, bringing fans to their feet. Nowitzki scored 36 points, but had only one in the fourth quarter — on Artest's technical. Howard had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Jason Kidd had seven points, seven rebounds and 12 assists. Houston's Tracy McGrady scored 16 points, making only three of 10 shots, and sat out the fourth quarter. He's still recovering from offseason operations on his left knee and left shoulder. Brooks, who was supposed to be out one to three weeks with an ankle injury, had 14 points, including a wild 3-pointer that started the key run. Carlisle is promising a faster offense predicated on tough defense. He was half right as Dallas got 37 fast-break points. Problem was, the defense hardly slowed Houston. The Rockets hit 50 points midway through the second quarter and had 85 through three quarters. They had only 82 in their opener at home the night before. Before tipoff, Mavs swingman Jerry Stackhouse addressed the crowd, saying, "It's gonna be fun, it's gonna be fast. Put on your seat belts. Let's do it!" Then Dallas opened the Carlisle era with a 24-second violation. The Mavericks had three turnovers and three fouls in a little more than 2 minutes. Nowitzki didn't score the first 6 minutes. But Dallas still managed to score 33 points in the opening period, getting 16 on fast breaks. |