On March 4th, Beijing time, the Rockets defeated the Raptors 107-97 at home, climbing to the third place in the Western Conference.
The Rockets (39-22) have won two consecutive games and now have the same record as the Nuggets. However, due to their tie-breaking advantage, they have moved up to the third position in the West. Yao Ming scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Luis Scola added 20 points and 16 rebounds. Sixth man Carl Landry contributed 22 points. Ron Artest finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
The Rockets have now won 10 straight games at home. After this game, their record is tied with the Nuggets' at 39-22. Since the Rockets went 2-1 against the Nuggets in their three head-to-head matchups, they hold the tiebreaker and are ranked ahead of the Nuggets. Although the Nuggets are the leaders of the Northwest Division, according to NBA rules, division winners are only guaranteed a top-four spot, so the Nuggets are placed fourth.
The Raptors (23-39) have lost three straight games. Andrea Bargnani hit 5 out of 6 three-point attempts for 25 points and 7 rebounds, Chris Bosh added 25 points and 7 rebounds, and Shawn Marion had 18 points and 10 rebounds.