Tracy McGrady scored 30 points as the Rockets beat the Charlotte Bobcats 89-80 on Friday night to break a tie with the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks for the second-best victory streak in league history. Only the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, who won 33 in a row, had a longer streak.
The win sets up Sunday’s showdown with the current Lakers at Toyota Center. They’re both 45-20, the best records in the West.
As the final seconds ticked off, Dikembe Mutombo waved his arms, urging the capacity crowd to stand and cheer. McGrady simply stood at the free-throw line near the Rockets bench, a tired grin on his face.
When the buzzer sounded, red streamers rained down as the crowd started chanting “M-V-P!” for McGrady.
Jason Richardson scored 28 points and Emeka Okafor added 23 for the Bobcats.
Rafer Alston added 17 points and Shane Battier had 12 points and nine rebounds for Houston, now 9-0 since All-Star center Yao Ming’s season-ending foot injury.
The Rockets also extended their home-court winning streak to 14 games, the longest since the 1985-86 team won 20 in a row.
Houston has won 25 of its last 26 games and 30 of its last 33. Now comes the real test - after the Lakers on Sunday, Houston will face Boston, New Orleans, Golden State and Phoenix next week.
The Rockets had won 13 of their previous 20 games by double digits, but the Bobcats made them work for this one. Houston hit seven of its first 12 shots, then missed its next 14 tries to fuel a 21-1 Charlotte run.
Jared Dudley’s putback two minutes into the second quarter gave Charlotte a 29-18 lead, the largest deficit the Rockets had faced during their victory streak.
