(Saturday, February 2nd)

Final Score: Houston 91, Milwaukee 83

Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Tracy McGrady had his strongest game in two months with 33 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, overshadowing the matchup between Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, as the Houston Rockets outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks, 91-83.

Yao had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets in the second battle of Chinese titans. Yi was limited to six points and seven rebounds on 1-of-10 shooting for the Bucks.

"I thought maybe eight of his shots were pretty good shots, they just didn't go in," Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said of Yi. "We ran out of a steam a little bit. It was a little bit of a boxing match going down the stretch and we had some breakdowns defensively."

Bonzi Wells had 10 points, and Rafer Alston chipped in 10 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who beat Milwaukee for a seventh straight time. The Rockets have also won three in a row overall and seven of their last eight contests.

Andrew Bogut led the way with 21 points for Milwaukee, which lost its third straight game. Bucks leading scorer Michael Redd missed his fourth straight game due to a strained left knee.

Bogut's hook shot had the Bucks within 78-74 with 2:54 remaining, but they went scoreless for the next two-plus minutes. During that time, Houston scored nine in a row, with McGrady's three capping the burst with just under a minute left for an 87-74 cushion.

Bobby Simmons and Charlie Villanueva each had 14 points, while Mo Williams tallied 13 points and nine assists for Milwaukee.

Houston held a 21-20 lead after a tight first quarter. Yi's lone basket came with 8:47 left in the period, on a jumper.

McGrady's layup in the waning seconds of the half boosted the Rockets to a 42-37 edge, and they started the third with six consecutive points, capped by a McGrady jumper.

"It was a great feeling because number one my body felt good," McGrady said. "My knee didn't bother me at all. I felt really confident tonight, healthy and confident on my feet."

Williams' three in the final minute of the third had the Bucks within 62-61, but Alston hit a jumper to end the quarter to put Houston up three heading into the final stanza.

It was a see-saw battle early in the fourth until the Rockets gained control.

Game Notes

This was McGrady's first game with at least 30 points since Dec. 1 at Sacramento, a 107-99 Houston loss...This marked the second sellout for the Bucks this season...McGrady went 14-of-27 from the field...Houston shot 50.7 percent to 38.8 percent for the Bucks...Bucks rookie guard Ramon Sessions fractured his left hand during Friday's practice and will miss six weeks,

02/03 01:47:29 ET