Tracy McGrady had 26 points while running the offense, Jackson hit two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Rockets got back to playing like they did during their 22-game winning streak in a 109-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
The Rockets had been blown out in back-to-back games to bring an end to the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, failing to reach 75 points in either loss. So coach Rick Adelman matched Golden State's small lineup and ran much of the offense through McGrady in the post. McGrady responded with eight assists to go along with his big scoring night.
The power-packed Western Conference gave the Rockets little cushion and a third straight loss would have dropped them into a tie for sixth place with San Antonio in the conference. Instead, they moved within percentage points of New Orleans for the lead in the Southwest Division.
Carl Landry returned from a seven-game absence from a knee injury to score 17 points for the Rockets, who started their 22-game winning streak with a victory over Golden State on Jan. 29. Jackson scored 16 off the bench.
Dikembe Mutombo, who had started all 12 games since Yao Ming went down with a season-ending foot injury late last month, did not play at all against the smaller Warriors.
[source:nba dot com]
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