SEATTLE, April 5 (UPI) -- Tracy McGrady scored 23 points Friday and the Houston Rockets won their second straight with a sluggish 79-66 decision over Seattle.
Houston remained tied with Phoenix for the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Both teams are 2 1/2 games behind conference-leading New Orleans.
Seattle had a 45-44 lead less than two minutes into the second half but managed to score only 21 points the rest of the game. The SuperSonics shot just 30 percent from the field.
Bobby Jackson added 13 points for Houston, which finishes a five-game road swing Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Seattle, which lost its fifth straight, was led by Nick Collison with 15 points. Rookie sensation Kevin Durant scored only four points, making two of 17 shots from the field in 35 minutes.
