Houston continues domination, wins 17th staight

DALLAS - Tracy McGrady had 31 points and nine assists in leading the Houston Rockets to their 17th straight victory, 113-98 over Dallas. Rafer Alston added a season-high 24 points for the Rockets.

Houston's streak is tied for seventh-best in NBA history. The Rockets will try moving into a tie for fourth Saturday night at home against New Orleans. Houston already has improved from 24-and-20 to 41-and-20 during their streak.
Josh Howard scored 21 points and Jason Terry had 17 for Dallas, which lost its third straight and fourth in five games. The Mavs were without All-Star Dirk Nowitzki. The reigning MVP was serving a one-game suspension for a hard foul on Utah's Andrei Kirilenko this week.