--G Aaron Brooks was 1-of-6 in the first half, then took over the second half. He outscored Philadelphia, 14-13, in the third quarter, and then clinched the win with an 18-footer on the baseline that gave the Rockets a five-point lead with 8.5 seconds remaining and himself, 19 points, 16 in the second half.

--F Chase Budinger was 0-for-5 Wednesday against Cleveland, but for the fourth time in his rookie season, was his best after a game among his worst. He went 6-of-8 to score 15 points in 18 minutes, keying the surge of the Rockets' bench to take over the game.

--F Carl Landry continued to be the most reliable scorer, getting 20 points, with a 12-of-14 night from the line. With four 20-point games in his career, he has scored at least 20 points 10 times this season.

MEDICAL WATCH:

--G/F Tracy McGrady (left knee) has been working his way back from microfracture knee surgery, participating in portions of practices.

--C Yao Ming (left foot) is expected to miss the season after extensive surgery to repair a fractured bone and reshape the operation of his foot to remove stress on the area.