HOUSTON - Washington Wizards coach Doug Collins is fond of saying that good teams don't have to beat you for an entire game, but just for 10 minutes or so.
The Houston Rockets, who are developing into a pretty good team, pounded the Wizards for about 10 minutes of the third quarter last night at the Compaq Center, blowing open a close contest with a 31-point period, en route to a 93-86 win.
The Rockets (7-4) shot a blistering 74 percent in the third quarter, hitting 13 of 18 shots, to turn what had been a one-point halftime deficit into a convincing win, though Washington trimmed a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit to five.
The Wizards (6-6), playing for the first time in five days, showed little rust, shooting well from the floor in the first half, particularly from three-point range, where they connected seven of nine times in the half.
But the younger, more athletic Rockets ran Washington ragged in the third quarter, hitting shots from the perimeter, then going down low for easy baskets.
"The key was the third quarter," Wizards guard Jerry Stackhouse said. "Houston had more success with the zone than we did with ours. They penetrated on us, and we were kept out on the perimeter. We got away from what we were doing in the first half. We've had a couple of tough games on the road. Our defense didn't get the job done."
Chinese center Yao Ming, the first overall pick in last June's draft, continued one of the most impressive shooting weeks in NBA history, with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting to lead five Rockets in double figures. He also blocked four shots.
Yao, who signaled his NBA coming-out party with 20 points Sunday in Los Angeles against the Lakers and a 30-point, 16-rebound performance Thursday against Dallas, got off to an impressive start last night. He hit four of his first six shots.
In one sequence in the second quarter, Yao stoned Stackhouse on the defensive end, then hit a short jumper to give Houston a one-point lead with 4:24 left.
His shooting performance qualified Yao among the league leaders in field-goal percentage, as he immediately shot to the top of the list, with a 70.5 percentage, to cap a week in which he posted the highest field-goal percentage over a six-game stretch in NBA history.
"Yao Ming is so big, and when he doesn't score, he can pass the ball," Collins said. "He is going to be a great player. He has great confidence and instincts. He has soft hands and a soft touch. When he is back there, he changes the entire game."
Meanwhile, the Washington starting front line of center Brendan Haywood and forwards Kwame Brown and Bryon Russell combined to score seven points, on 2-for-10 shooting.
Stackhouse, who had 19 points in the first half, including five three-pointers, had just seven in the second half, for a game-high 26 points.
Larry Hughes chipped in 22 points, while Tyronn Lue scored 14 off the bench. Michael Jordan had just eight points, on 4-for-15 shooting, his worst performance ever against the Rockets.
"We were living with our perimeter shots, but we didn't get any dribble penetration," said Jordan. "Houston was playing some zone, but you have to find holes to get some easy shots and we weren't able to."
For the game, Washington shot better from three-point range (9-for-17) than it did overall from the field (35-for-83).
Wizards tonight
Opponent:Memphis Grizzlies
Site:Pyramid, Memphis, Tenn.
Time:8
TV/Radio:CN8, Ch. 50/WTEM (980 AM)