The AP reports: The Houston Rockets refused to let a big fourth-quarter lead slip away two nights in a row. Yao Ming scored 21 points, Tracy McGrady added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the Rockets bottled up Chris Paul in a 91-82 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday. Paul, who came in averaging 22 points, went 2-of-10 from the field and made all eight free throws to score 12. He had 12 assists, but the Hornets shot 41 percent (31-for-76) and were outrebounded 41-35. Luis Scola added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who led by 12 at the half and shot 53 percent (8-for-15) in the third quarter to take a 70-53 lead to the fourth. The Hornets couldn’t crack Houston’s double-digit lead until David West sank a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left… West scored 18 and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Hornets. Tyson Chandler added 16 points and Devin Brown scored 13.
