Yao topped the game with 25 points and 10 rebounds but still said he had problems with the Spurs' defense in Rockets' 88-81 defeat.

"They just double-team so hard," he said. "Usually I can at least see the floor, find the open man for a look at the basket. But Bruce Bowen, his finger was almost in my eye a couple of times. I couldn't see the weak side to find that open man."

The Rockets played without star swingman Tracy McGrady, who could miss five weeks with a sore back.

Yao had 17 of his 25 points in the first half, and Alston scored 15. Luther Head added 13, including three 3-pointers, and Keith Bogans had 11.

The loss kept Houston winless in 10 games against Southwest Division rivals.

Yao hit three short jumpers while scoring nine of Houston's first 13 points as the Rockets took an early lead.

San Antonio came back to tie it at 19 with about 3 minutes left in the first quarter on a three-point play by Rasho Nesterovic.

Udrih made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give San Antonio a 25-22 lead after one, but Yao made a 13-footer early in the second to put Houston back ahead.

A pair of 3-pointers by Head sparked the Rockets, who built their advantage to 39-34 late in the half. Yao scored 17 points in the half, while Duncan was held scoreless in the second on 0-for-5 shooting after scoring 10 in the first.

San Antonio erased a four-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Rockets 26-11 in the third. Bogans had nine of those points for Houston, which shot 5-for-17 in the quarter.

Bowen started the run for the Spurs with a 3-pointer, and Mohammed made three straight baskets. After a fast-break layup by Tony Parker, Udrih hit his second 3-pointer to make it 64-53 in the final minute of the third.

Trailing by 11 after three, Houston closed within 79-77 when Rafer Alston drove the baseline for a layup with 2:52 remaining.

But the Spurs' Nazr Mohammed set a screen on Rick Brunson that allowed Finley to drive the baseline for the dunk over Yao.

A minute later, Manu Ginobili tangled Yao's feet with a crossover before he threw down a left-handed dunk over the Rockets' center to make it 85-79.

Ginobili said the dunk was about the only high spot for him. He finished with 14 points, but shot only 5-for-15 from the floor.

"What I wanted to do was just go strong and draw a foul, if not try to dunk," he said. "I'm kind of upset because I couldn't do it before. I had a lot of opportunities."

Finley clinched the victory with a corner 3-pointer with 40 seconds left.

"Ginobili had a crossover dunk and he created Finley's 3 with his penetration," Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "They have so many great perimeter players, the kind of players that give everybody trouble."

Tim Duncan had 20 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio, while Mohammed scored 11 and Beno Udrih 10.
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(AP via CRI English March 13, 2006)