Yao Ming eclipsed 20 points and 10 rebounds for the third straight game -- something he hadn't done before in his NBA career.
Yao had 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead six Rockets players in double figures, and Houston held Minnesota to 26 points in the first half of a 95-76 victory Saturday.
PHOTO: AP
"He's been more aggressive the last three games. I keep wishing that he would do that all of the time," Steve Francis said.
Yao had 21 points and 15 rebounds Wednesday against Boston and 21 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday against Washington. His recent strong play has coincided with the Rockets' three-game winning streak.
"I thought he was very active. Whenever he gets some offensive rebounds that helps, and when he gets open shots that helps," Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "He can score in a number of ways.
"He had a bit of a lull there for four or five games, but recently he's really played well."
Yao also recorded his 17th double-double of the season.
Minnesota had its five-game winning streak snapped.
Francis scored 19, Maurice Taylor 16, Cuttino Mobley 13, Jim Jackson 11 and Kelvin Cato 10.
Sam Cassell led Minnesota with 25 points. Kevin Garnett added 19 and Latrell Sprewell had 13.
Houston, which never trailed, used a 15-0 run to take a 31-13 lead.
"We got kicked, and that's all you can say about it. They came out and dominated us from beginning to end," Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said.
It was 39-16 before Cassell scored eight points in the final 2:13 of the first half to cut the deficit to 45-26 at halftime. Minnesota missed 27 of its first 34 shots.
"We couldn't throw a beach ball into the ocean," Garnett said. "It was not a pretty game."
"We got disrupted early. They jumped on us and they were physical with us. We just never got going," Timberwolves center Ervin Johnson said. "Yao did a good job. He was aggressive and he came out ready to play. He rebounded and scored and did everything they asked him to do."
Houston opened the second half by scoring eight straight points to lead 53-26, and built its advantage to 30 before Minnesota cut the deficit to 86-73. The Timberwolves never got closer.
Cavaliers 102, Jazz 96, OT
In Salt Lake City, Carlos Boozer scored 10 of his 32 points in overtime after LeBron James left with an ankle injury as Cleveland rallied for their first victory at Utah in more than 14 years.
James scored 29 points before spraining his right ankle during a scramble for a loose ball. He was helped from the court, holding his right leg off of the floor with 12.1 seconds remaining in regulation and the Cavaliers down 85-84.
Cleveland forced overtime on a free throw by Ira Newble, and James watched it from the locker room.
Andrei Kirilenko had 27 points and six rebounds for the Jazz, who led by 18 at halftime but couldn't hold off the Cavaliers as James warmed up after a slow first half.
Mavericks 108, Trail Blazers 104
In Portland, Oregon, Michael Finley had 33 points as Dallas withstood the absence of guard Steve Nash and the ejection of coach Don Nelson to beat Portland.
Dirk Nowitzki had 32 points and seven rebounds for Dallas, which won its fourth straight game.
Rasheed Wallace, returning from a left ankle sprain that kept him out for four games, scored 24 points as the Blazers dropped their fourth straight. Portland has lost eight of its last nine.
The Blazers led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but Nowitzki led a charge that tied it at 79-79. Nowitzki expanded the lead to 103-97 with a 3-pointer that gave the Mavericks their biggest lead of the game.
Pacers 90, Nets 84
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Jermaine O'Neal had 20 points and 10 rebounds as Indiana held New Jersey to 29 second-half points in a matchup of division leaders.
Al Harrington added 15 points and 12 rebounds and Ron Artest had 18 points. Reggie Miller sealed the Pacers' 10th win in 11 games with four free throws and a steal in the final minute.
Jason Kidd had 21 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in a 45-minute night, but only two assists and two rebounds came in the final quarter when the Nets were limited to 10 points.
Knicks 101, Bulls 96
In Chicago, Keith Van Horn scored 16 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as New York beat Chicago to improve to 2-0 under new coach Lenny Wilkens.
Allan Houston added 26 points and Stephon Marbury had 18 points and eight assists for the Knicks, who won their third straight. New York won for only the second time in 12 games when trailing going into the fourth quarter.
Jamal Crawford and Curry led the Bulls with 20 each, but 19 of Curry's points came in the first half when he was 9-of-11. He took just two shots in the second half.
Lakers 91, Clippers 89
In Los Angeles, Gary Payton had 15 points and 15 assists, and Stanislav Medvedenko added 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Los Angles Lakers over cross-town rivals the Clippers.
The win was the fourth in the last five games for the Lakers, who were without injured stars Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone. Devean George and Derek Fisher added 11 points each for the Lakers, who overcame a 35-point, 20-rebound performance by the Clippers' Elton Brand.
O'Neal and Bryant will miss at least another week, and Malone is expected to be out at least two more weeks.
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