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Sunday December 9, 2007 4:03 PM


Rockets lose rhythm, game in second half to Raptors


Toronto 93, Houston 80

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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
The Raptors weren't going to let Yao Ming beat them.

He didn't -- and neither did the Rockets.

Behind a suffocating defense that frustrated Houston's big man and left the Rockets' offense muddled throughout the second half, the Raptors overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to seize a 93-80 victory Sunday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre.

Toronto star Chris Bosh, who had missed five games with a strained groin, had 21 points and 10 rebounds in his return to pace the Raptors' comeback.

The Rockets, which suffered their first loss in three games, couldn't hang on to a 14-point advantage after failing to find a way to generate any offense in the second half after their big man was taken out of the game.

Houston instead resorted to a stagnant offense with little movement.

"We just stopped moving the ball, we started missing shots and got even more stagnant," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "They did a good job of doubling both on Tracy (McGrady) and Yao (Ming). We really didn't have an answer for it. You've got to give them credit. They got us on our heels in the second half and we just couldn't stop the momentum."

The Rockets center took only 10 shots in 38 minutes of action against Toronto's aggressive double teams, settling for 15 points and six assists.

Tracy McGrady tried to pick up the slack by producing a game-high 23 points to lead three Rockets in double figures, but he did almost all of his damage in the first half. He had 14 points in the opening 24 minutes to get the Rockets off to a solid start. Houston, in fact, took a 45-34 lead into the break.

But Toronto's defense eventually slowed down the Rockets. After a fast start and never trailing in the first half, the Rockets watched their lead evaporate in the second half as they settled for jump shots.

No stretch was more brutal than the third quarter. The Rockets made a meager 25 percent of their shots in the period, finishing with only 11 points in the quarter.

"We go back to isolation plays and everybody is stationary and standing around watching whoever has the ball," McGrady said. "It is not a good offense for us, just standing around watching a guy work. Our offense is really based on motion and movement."

With that, Toronto took control of the game.

The Raptors opened the third quarter with a 14-4 run that pulled them within 49-48 midway through period. Anthony Parker, who had nine points in the quarter, nailed a three-pointer to begin the spurt. After trading a couple of baskets with the Rockets, the Raptors took their first lead of the game when Rasho Nesterovic tipped in a missed shot to take a 54-52 lead. Bosh eventually sank a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to six.

Houston never led again. Bonzi Wells hit a three-pointer with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game to cut Toronto's lead to 69-66, but that was as close as it would get. Toronto responded with a 11-2 run that put the game out of Houston's reach.

The Rockets were playing without starting point guard Rafer Alston, who missed Sunday's game with a strained groin. Steve Francis started in his place, finishing with seven points and three assists.