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Rockets, Bulls look to get back on track

Nov 16, 2006 - 1:44 PM Chicago (3-4) at Houston (5-3) 8:00 pm EST

HOUSTON (Ticker) - The Houston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls both lost to a Western Conference contender on Tuesday. Two days later, the teams will face off.

The Rockets will look to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time this season when they take on the Bulls on Thursday.

Houston, a team on the rise looking to tie San Antonio atop the Southwest Division, led by as many as 19 points before dropping a 92-84 decision to the Spurs on Tuesday.

Tracy McGrady scored 26 points - 21 in the first half - for the Rockets, who shot just 2-of-17 in the final period to have their four-game winning streak snapped.

Yao Ming scored 20 points but shot just 7-of-21 from the field for Houston. He had scored 69 points in his previous two games on 26-of-40 shooting.

Chicago had trouble with another of the Western Conference's top teams, falling to the Dallas Mavericks, 111-89. Kirk Hinrich scored 25 points for the Bulls, who shot 46 percent (39-of-85).

After an 11-0 run by the Mavericks in the fourth quarter, Chicago responded with a 12-2 spurt to pull within 95-88 on Luol Deng's follow shot with 3:09 left, but the Bulls would get no closer.

Houston has won six of its last seven contests against Chicago.