Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Yao Ming had a game-high 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Houston Rockets got by the Seattle SuperSonics 96-89 in the first leg of a home-and-home set at Toyota Center.

Yao finished 12-of-19 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line, while Tracy McGrady contributed 17 points and six rebounds off the bench for Houston, which has won two straight and seven of its last nine.

Bonzi Wells donated 16 points and Rafer Alston had 12 points and six assists in the win.

Rookie Jeff Green had 15 points, while Wally Szczerbiak chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds for Seattle, which has dropped 11 in a row. This is the longest single-season losing streak in Sonics history. Seattle is on the verge of equaling the franchise-worst losing streak of 12 games, set over two seasons from March 15, 1969 to October 28, 1970. The Sonics play at home against the Rockets Wednesday.

Kevin Durant, the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, finished with 12 points and four boards in defeat.

With Houston holding a 53-52 lead after the first half, the back-and-forth affair continued for a good portion of the third quarter with neither team able to pull away. But the Rockets regained the lead midway through the period and finished with a 18-9 run, taking a 77-68 advantage into the final quarter.

Kurt Thomas' jumper with 4:45 left in the contest cut Houston's lead to 85-81, but McGrady responded with a bucket of his own a minute later to stretch the Rockets lead to six. Seattle got within four in the final two minutes, but a free throw by Yao and two more by McGrady put the home team ahead 93-85 with 23 seconds left. Houston continued making its foul shots the rest of the way, securing the 96-89 win.

Both teams played it close to the best in the opening quarter, but Luke Ridnour's three-point play gave Seattle a 24-22 lead after one.

Green's dunk with 7:21 left in the half gave the Sonics a 37-34 edge. However, Shane Battier's layup just over two minutes later tied the game at 39 and the teams played evenly for most of the stanza, but the Rockets took a 53-52 lead into the intermission.