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Spurs beat Rockets in Texas showdown

The San Antonio Spurs visited Houston to play against the Rockets and All Star Yao Ming. Houston, 5-2 entering the game, came off an impressive victory over the defending champions Miami Heat, a game in which Yao clearly won the matchup against Shaquille O`Neil. But the Spurs` Tim Duncan was not phased by the 7`6" center. Duncan finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and what his coach Gregg Popovich called one of his best defensive performances ever.

It was the Spurs bench in the second half that turned the game San Antonio`s way. The Spurs were down by 13 points after a three by Tracy McGrady with time winding down in the second quarter set the score at 56-43. The deficit grew to 19 points, before the Spurs ran with a 20-1 spurt, holding the Rockets without a field goal for eight minutes.

The Spurs` bench outscored the host team`s bench 41-16 in the game. At the end, though, it was the Spurs` All Star center`s turn to step in. In the final minutes, Duncan ripped the ball away from Yao on defense, the hit a fadeaway jumper at the other end of the court to put his team ahead 90-83, before the game ended with the final score of 92-84. He finished the game with three blocked shots.