Rockets cruise to 13th straight victory with win over Wizards in first game without Yao
Maybe the Houston Rockets will be OK without Yao Ming.
In their first game minus Yao, Luther Head had 18 points to lead the Rockets to a 94-69 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night for their 13th straight victory.
Yao is out for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. The Rockets didn’t seem to miss their All-Star center, jumping to a 7-0 lead and never trailing as they coasted to their 17th win in the last 18 games. The streak is their longest since their championship season of 1993-94, and the longest active streak in the NBA.
“Not having Yao, everybody had to step up a little bit and we all did,” Head said. “Everybody contributed and everybody scored. We did it as a team.”
Houston started 41-year-old Dikembe Mutombo in place of Yao, but also used the 6-foot-9 Carl Landry in the spot. Yao was averaging 22 points and 10.8 rebounds this season. Landry finished with 12 points.