Yao's 24 pts boosts Rockets over Memphis

Houston's Chinese center Yao Ming scored 24 points and collected 17 rebounds Sunday as the Rockets continued to roll without injured star Tracy McGrady. The Rockets notched a 93-83 victory over the woeful Memphis Grizzlies, taking a 53-37 halftime lead that they never relinquished.

Luis Scola collected 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who improved to 10-2 since swingman McGrady announced he intended to have season-ending knee surgery. "We just wanted to send a message both to our opponent and ourselves that we need to play strong," Yao said. "We cannot play like we played the last two times against them in their house."

The Rockets have recovered from a hard-fought loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday with back-to-back victories triumphs. Houston coach Rick Adelman said much of the credit goes to the big guys. "I was pleased with the way the guys played, except for the last five minutes," the coach said. "We've got to finish the game out but, for the most part, we played a solid game. Yao and Luis really controlled the boards for us."

The Grizzlies had snapped an eight-game skid with a rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, but have now lost two in a row. "It was a little bit of everything," Grizzlies center Marc Gasol said. "We were tired and we had poor shot selection. But those are excuses. The NBA is that way. You have to play through those adversities."

Ron Artest had 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Rockets, who continue to rise in the Western Conference standings. Houston, with a 41-23 record, now hold the No. 3 spot behind the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.