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 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - For one night, Shane Battier's shooting and some very good defense helped the Houston Rockets forget they will be playing without Yao Ming for a while. Battier hit a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points, and the Rockets limited the New Jersey Nets to 33 percent shooting in a 96-71 victory Wednesday night.
"Without the big fella down there, there are a lot more opportunities for everybody," said Battier, who was 8-of-16 from the field, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range. "I'm not happy about that (Yao being out). We all have to do our part. Tonight our spacing was way better and we moved the ball. We played much better basketball."
Tracy McGrady added 17 points and six assists, while fellow guard Rafer Alston had 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, who snapped a two-game losing streak and won for only the third time in nine games.
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