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Without Yao, Rockets seek 16th straight win vs. Pacers

Mar 5, 2008 - 2:30 PM Indiana (24-36) at Houston (39-20) 8:30 pm EST

HOUSTON (Ticker) - The Houston Rockets are playing as if they never lost Yao Ming.

The Rockets go for a franchise-record 16th consecutive win on Wednesday when they host the Indiana Pacers.

Houston improved to 3-0 without Yao, who is out for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot, claiming an impressive 103-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

The win also tied a franchise record 15 victories in a row set during the 1992-93 season. The Rockets matched that win streak the following year, when they won the first of two straight championships.

Tracy McGrady scored 22 points and Shane Battier added a season-high 20 against the Nuggets as the duo did an excellent job picking up the offense for Yao, who averaged 22 points and nearly 11 rebounds in 55 games this season.

The Pacers enter Wednesday's contest on a win streak of their own after registering victories over the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks.

Mike Dunleavy tied a season-high with 36 points during an 11-point victory against the Raptors on Friday. The 27-year-old guard matched that performance just two nights later, pouring in 36 for the second straight game en route to a 128-106 drubbing of the Bucks on Sunday.