Rockets win their opener of NBA 2003-04 season

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, November 01, 2003

Rockets win their opener of NBA 2003-04 season

The Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 102-85 in their opener of the 2003-04 season on Thursday.

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The Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 102-85 in their opener of the 2003-04 season on Thursday.

The Rockets, who hired new coach Jeff Van Gundy, played the opener at their new facility of the Toyota Center in downtown in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,189.

Cuttino Mobley led with 21 points and Chinese Yao Ming added 19 points for the Rockets who had six players in double-figures.

Steve Francis chipped in with 17 points and six assists for Houston, and Kelvin Cato added 10 points and 13 rebounds after theRockets dominated the game with a 13-5 run to start the third quarter from a 48-42 advantage at halftime.

Andre Miller led the Nuggets with 19 points, with rookie Carmelo Anthony adding 18 and nine rebounds.

The Nuggets who toppled defending champion San Antonio Spurs onWednesday, couldn't stay close to the Rockets for most of the night.

In Orlando, Jamaal Magloire had 27 points and blocked a potential game-tying shot by Tracy McGrady, giving the New Orleans Hornets a 100-98 win over the Magic.

David Wesley had 28 points for the Hornets and Baron Davis added 22 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

McGrady led the Magic with 33 points, seven rebounds and six assists, as Drew Gooden added 16 points and 11 rebounds.

In Phoenix, Stephon Marbury had 24 points, eight assists and four rebounds to pace the Suns for a 95-86 win over Cleveland Cavaliers. Amare Stoudemire added 25 points and eight rebounds and Shawn Marion had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns.

LeBron James, the top pick of the season, almost stole the showfor a second straight night in his second NBA game as he just missed a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who lost their second straight game.

Ricky Davis added 22 points and six rebounds for Cleveland.(xinhua)

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