INQUIRER Sports

HOUSTON, Texas -- China's giant center Yao Ming scored a season-high 36 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as he carried the Houston Rockets on his back in a 111-107 win over Golden State on Tuesday.

Yao was back in the lineup after missing Sunday's game against Utah, but this time Tracy McGrady sat out with the same problem -- a virus.

"I'm 100 percent," Yao said. "At the beginning, I felt a little down. As the game got going I got warmed up."

Didn't matter as Yao put on a shooting a rebounding clinic, scoring nine points in the final three minutes to hold off Golden State.

Houston blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, falling behind by a point before Yao rallied the troops. He just missed the fourth 20-20 game of his career.

"We were able to get the ball to Yao and he made his free throws," Houston coach Rick Adelman said of his 7-6 center, who was 14-of-15 from the foul line in the game. "When he got fouled, we were in business. Yao is money."

Rafer Alston scored 17 points and added 11 assists and Luther Head chipped in with 20 points for Houston, which played without McGrady, who missed his 15th game of the season because of the flu.

The Warriors briefly took the lead at 102-101 on Baron Davis' three-pointer, but Yao went back to work.

Golden State started its comeback early in the third quarter when a 9-2 run brought it back within striking distance at 64-57. A few minutes later, Andris Biedrins' basket helped Golden State close within 75-71.

The Rockets responded by going inside to Yao.

Yao scored nine points in a row for Houston after Golden State scored seven straight to close within 100-99 with 2:55 left to play.

"Yao was just too much for us," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "We dug too big a hole and it was just too tough to climb the ladder."

Houston's lead was built up early thanks to Yao, who scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the first half to help the Rockets outrebound the Warriors, 34-26, in the first two quarters.

Stephen Jackson led Golden State with 25.