DENVER-
Tracy McGrady scored 28 points and Dikembe Mutombo grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets past the Denver Nuggets 108-97 Friday night.
Juwan Howard scored 18 points, Luther Head finished with 17 and Shane Battier 15—all on 3-pointers—as the Rockets beat the Nuggets at what Denver does best—running up and down the floor.
Before the game, Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said he was looking for more energy out of his team and the Rockets responded by eclipsing 100 points, something they hadn’t done in their previous four games.
Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points and Allen Iverson had 19 for Denver. Marcus Camby tied a season high with seven blocked shots.
The Rockets built an 18-point lead in the third quarter, and didn’t allow Denver to scale the lead down to single digits. The closest the Nuggets got was 11 points.
Anthony drew a technical foul late in the first half after he slammed the ball and emphatically pumped his fist in the direction of a Rockets player.
In his pregame press conference, Nuggets coach George Karl called McGrady the second-best playmaker in the game, behind only Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant. He may flip-flop the two after what McGrady did to the Nuggets on Friday night. McGrady also had seven assists and six rebounds.
“I think the presence of McGrady is probably as powerful as (Phoenix guard Steve) Nash,” Karl said.
The Rockets had lost three of the last four coming into the game.
Notes:@ Houston G Bonzi Wells didn’t play Friday night due to a sore right foot. … Van Gundy wasn’t sure how close C Yao Ming was to returning to the court. Ming has been on the inactive list for the last 31 games with a fractured tibia on his right leg. “The doctors haven’t told me anything,” he said. “I really don’t know when he will be better.” … The last time these two teams met Denver erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit in a 121-113 overtime win on Jan. 20. … Denver G Steve Blake had 14 points and six assists.
