(AP) HOUSTON - Ron Artest scored 12 of his 15 points in the first quarter of his Houston debut and the Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 96-93 in the preseason opener on Tuesday night.
Tracy McGrady sat out to rest his sore left knee. The Rockets star had offseason surgery to remove loose tissue in the knee and said last week that it was healing slower than expected.
Yao Ming had 10 points and nine rebounds in less than two quarters of action. Houston coach Rick Adelman has said he'll be careful with Yao during the preseason to try to keep the six-time All-Star fresh and injury-free.
Rudy Gay scored 14 for the Grizzlies and had a pair of highlight-reel dunks in the fourth quarter. Hakim Landry led Memphis with 15, including a dunk that tied it at 92.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
