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Yao fights for a rebound over Milwaukee's Joe Smith and Michael Redd on Wednesday night as the Rockets broke a 4-game losing streak by beating the Bucks 103-89. Yao scored 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, and snagged 5 rebounds in 28 minutes of action. (Photo courtesy AP).

1st quarter
10:19		Yao gets the ball about 4 feet outside the right edge of the lane, and he is facing up to the basket on Brian Skinner. Yao then pump fakes and starts his move offensively by turning his back to the basket, then reverse pivots toward the baseline and shoots a fallaway jumper and HITS IT! Yao pushes the Rockets into the lead 6-4.
6:34		Once again, Yao gets the ball about 3 feet outside the right edge of the lane, and he dribbles twice into the lane while backing down Brian Skinner. Yao then picks up his dribble and makes a jump stop in the middle of the lane, then leans toward the basket over Skinner and banks it off the glass for the score! The 6'9" Skinner was defenseless against the hulking Yao! Yao is 2-for-2 from the field with 4 points, and the Rockets trail 12-14.
4:53	Free Throws	The Rockets go to Yao once again on the right edge of the lane and he is guarded by Skinner. Yao pivots toward the baseline like he's going to shoot a fadeaway, but is then fouled quickly by Michael Redd who came around the baseline and caught his arm. Yao goes to the line and makes both free throws. He is now 2-for-2 from both the field and the line. The Rockets lead 16-14.
4:39	Good Defense	On defense, Yao comes all the way out from underneath the basket to the three-point line to follow his man Brian Skinner, who is setting a pick for T.J. Ford. But Yao makes the defensive adjustment by wisely leaving Skinner, and for one second Yao is actually guarding the 6'0" Ford, which is odd to see! Yao's menacing presence actually prevents Ford from penetrating, so Ford pulls back. Yao then quickly gets back underneath the basket and jockeys for great position as the ball is shot by Michael Redd. Redd's shot bounces high off the rim, and Yao skies for the rebound over Redd and Joe Smith, and rips the ball down forcefully for the rebound! (see photo above) The Houston crowd cheers loudly Yao's aggressiveness!
3:55		Yao gets the ball on the right edge of the lane and quickly spins to shoot a turnaround jumper off the glass, but it misses. Yao is now 2-for-3 from the field with 6 points. The Rockets lead 19-14.
3:31		Yao misses a left-handed jump hook in the lane. Out of all the shots Yao shoots, the left-handed hook shot is probably one of his weakest...but for good reason -- it's a difficult shot! Yao is now 2-for-4 with 4 points. The Rockets lead 19-16.
2:25	Free Throws	Yao gets the ball 3 feet in front of the rim and quickly spins and tries to shoot a right-handed hook shot over Joe Smith, but Smith fouls him and the shot ALMOST falls threw the basket. Yao belts out a yell in frustration the ball didn't drop. Yao makes the first free throw, but misses the second. Yao is 3-for-4 from the line and 2-for-4 from the field for 7 points. The score is tied 20-20.
1:20		Yao is called for a foul trying to get position in the lane on Joe Smith, but Smith overacted to get the ref to blow the whistle for the call. Yao is not happy about it as evidenced by the pained expression on his face. That is Yao's second foul, and he has to check out of the game for Clarence Weatherspoon. The Rockets lead 24-20.
2nd quarter - At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets lead 25-22. Yao and Jim Jackson lead the Rockets in scoring with 7 points. Brian Skinner leads the Bucks with 10 points.
7:46		Yao checks back into the game for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets lead 33-31.
5:40		Desmond Mason tries to create his own shot or draw a foul by jumping into Yao, then hoisting up a prayer of a shot. But Mason just bounces off of Yao, and Yao is able to tip the ball just slightly to make Mason miss the shot even more badly than he originally would have. As a result, Yao gets credit for the block. The Rockets lead 38-34.
2:09	Free Throws	Yao is fouled by center Dan Gadzuric before he gets the ball. That foul sends Yao to the line, and he makes the first free throw but misses the second. Yao now has 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the line and 2-for-4 shooting from the field. The Rockets trail 43-44.
1:47		Yao grabs a rebound underneath the offensive boards by tipping it to himself. With only Toni Kukoc between himself and the rim, Yao easily goes up and throws a right-handed hook shot into the basket without any problem! Yao is now 3-for-5 from the floor with 10 points. The Rockets take the lead 45-44.
:31		Yao checks out of the game for Kelvin Cato. The game is tied at 47-47.
Halftime - At the end of the second quarter, the Rockets lead 50-47. The Rockets are shooting 50% at the half, and have made 4-of-11 three-pointers. Francis scored 12 in the quarter on 4-of-6 shooting. The Rockets have 8 turnovers in the first half.
3rd quarter - Yao starts the quarter.
11:46		Yao gets the ball a couple of feet outside the right edge of the lane, and he simply turns and shoots a jumper over Skinner, AND HE RIPS THE CORDS! Yao is now 4-for-6 from the field with 12 points. The Rockets lead 52-47.
8:51		Yao misses a right-handed jump hook in the lane. However, on the rebound that Joe Smith grabbed, the refs call a foul on Yao that Smith overacted on. That's Yao's third foul, and he is replaced by Maurice Taylor. Yao is 4-for-7 from the field with 12 points. The Rockets lead 56-51.
4th quarter - The Rockets outscored the Bucks 25-15 in the third quarter, and they lead 75-62. Maurice Taylor came in for Yao in the third quarter when Yao got in foul trouble, and he delivered by scoring 9 points.
7:21		Yao checks into the game for Maurice Taylor, who scored 13 points after he came into the game for Yao in the third quarter. Excellent job, Mo! The Rockets lead 82-71.
6:43		Yao is dished the ball just to the right of the basket, and Yao goes up to lay it up off the glass for the easy score, but Joe Smith comes flying out of nowhere to legitimately block Yao's shot! The Houston crowd roars in amazement of Smith's block. Yao is now 4-for-8 from the field with 12 points. The Rockets lead 82-72.
6:12	Free Throws	From just inside the three-point line along the baseline, Yao dribbles once and drives into the lane (which is amazing since he covered so much ground with just one dribble). Yao then elevates and puts up a running right-handed toward the rim, but he is fouled! Yao goes to the line and makes both free throws. He is now 6-for-8 from the line and has 14 points. The Rockets lead 83-74.
1:25		Maurice Taylor grabs an offensive rebound along the right baseline, and he spots Yao wide open in front of the basket. So Taylor zips the ball to Yao who lays it in with his right hand! The Rockets lead 97-85, and Yao 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
:56		Yao checks out of the game for Adrian Griffin. The Rockets lead 99-85.
:45		Yao checks into the game for Adrian Griffin. The Rockets lead 100-85. We're not sure why Yao is being put back in the game since the Rockets are certainly going to win this game. Yao finishes with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting (6-of-8) from the field, 5 rebounds and 1 block.