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Box Score | Game Notes | Complete Standings Sunday marked the 307th consecutive sellout at Arco Arena for the Kings. With 19 points and 12 rebounds Sunday, Yao Ming claimed his team-leading 34th double-double of the season. Led by Luther Head, who was 3-5 from downtown after the break, Houston shot 50 percent (4-8) from the three-point line in the second half Monday after going 1-7 in the first 24 minutes. The Rockets starting backcourt was outscored 33-14 Sunday night by their Sacramento counterparts. Houston's bench outscored Sacramento's reserves 13-6 Sunday.

Carmine Pirone-Rockets.com

Two days after learning that the playoffs were officially out of reach, the Houston Rockets fell to the Sacramento Kings 86-77 Sunday night at Arco Arena. The Rockets fall to 33-44 on the season with the loss, while the Kings, the team the Rockets have been chasing for the better part of a month, improve to 40-37 with the win.

The Rockets were led by Juwan Howard, who scored 22 points and pulled eight rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Yao Ming chipped in his team-leading 34th double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds, despite facing double and triple-teams most of the night.

Howard took advantage of the Kings focus on Yao, hitting on 10 of his 19 shots, many of those coming from the perimeter. Luther Head was the only other Houston player in double-figures with 13 points, all of them coming after halftime.

Sacramento was led by Brad Miller’s 30 points and 11 rebounds. Miller was a fixture on the perimeter playing the pick and roll with Mike Bibby to perfection much of the night. Bibby added 23 points and six assists for a Sacramento team that led by as many 18 points in the second quarter before letting Houston climb to as close as two points early in the fourth quarter.

In the end, the Rockets couldn’t produce enough offense, especially in the backcourt as the Kings guards outscored their Houston counterparts 33-14 on the night, more than accounting for the nine-point difference on the scoreboard.

Still, it was the Kings who were playing for everything Sunday, while Houston had little but pride on the line.
There were several chances for Houston to surrender, but the Rockets fought the entire game, despite a shaky beginning.

With the score knotted at two, Sacramento went on a 14-2 run to take a commanding 16-2 lead after the first six minutes of action.

Houston began the game going 1-10 from the field, while Sacramento hit on eight of their 12 shots during the stretch.

Following a timeout, Houston climbed back into the game thanks to some careless Kings turnovers and an opportunistic offense that allowed the Rockets to go on a 12-2 run to get within four points at 18-14, Sacramento.

By the end of the first quarter, the Kings maintained their four-point edge, leading 20-16 after 12 minutes.

The first six minutes of the second quarter featured a balanced attack as the Rockets never caught the Kings and Sacramento couldn’t stretch their lead.

That changed with the Kings leading 31-27 with six minutes to play in the first half. Sacramento went on an 18-4 run to take a commanding 49-31 lead shortly before halftime. The Rockets scored the last four points of the first half, but by then the damage had been done and Sacramento led 49-35 as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

Houston shot just 33 percent (14-42) in the first half, while Sacramento hit on 49 percent (16-33) of theirs. Bibby had 17 points at halftime, while Howard was the only Rockets player in double-figures with 12 points.

It was all Rockets in the third quarter. Houston used runs of 8-0 and 10-2 to shave the Kings lead to just five points after three quarters.

Luther Head came alive after halftime, scoring 10 points in the third thanks to a 2-3 effort from behind the arc.

Howard continued to benefit from soft defense on his jump shot and added six more points to his scoring total. Houston would have been within two points after the third quarter, but Miller ended scoring with a three to give Sacramento a 64-59 lead heading into the fourth.

Houston got within two points in the final quarter at 67-65, Sacramento, but that was as close as the Rockets would come.

The Kings went on a 7-0 scoring run shortly thereafter and when Yao was forced to the bench for a few minutes after collecting his fifth foul, Sacramento took complete control and cruised to the win thanks to timely shooting from Bibby and Miller, leading by as many as 15 in the final period before claiming the 86-77 win.

The Rockets return to action Monday in Utah against the Jazz. Tip-off is 8:00 p.m. and the game can be seen on FSN Houston.