Los Angeles  - The Houston Rockets had no problems passing their latest test against one of the league's best.

Yao Ming scored 28 points on 13-of-15 shooting, and the Rockets held the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to a season-low point total en route to 93-74 victory on Thursday night.

"It is a big win," the Chinese superstar centre said. "We played against one of the best quality teams in this league. They have one of the top records and their quality is almost like playoffs. So, it is a really good test for us to see how far we can go."

Led by the 7-foot-6, Yao and a stellar defensive effort, the Rockets roared to their season-high sixth straight victory and ninth in a row at home.

Los Angeles  - Hot-head Rasheed Wallace lost his cool, and the struggling Detroit Pistons lost another game.

David West scored 30 points, including a pair of free throws with 6.7 seconds left, and the New Orleans Hornets handed the Pistons their eighth straight defeat, 90-87 on Wednesday night.

"I knew it was going to be a tight game all the way," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "I'm glad we made some big plays in the end and got the stops when we needed."

Los Angeles  - With two of their brightest stars sidelined by injuries, San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker seized the opportunity to sparkle in the spotlight.

"The French Flash" tossed in 26 of his 37 points in the opening half, and handed out a season-high 12 assists, carrying the short-handed Spurs past the visiting Dallas Mavericks 93-76 on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles, Fe

Los Angeles  - The agonizing wait is over, and the divorce between the New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury is final.

The Knicks reached a buyout agreement with exiled Marbury on Tuesday, putting an end to the season-long soap opera in the Big Apple.

"A comprehensive agreement was made this afternoon between the New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury," the team said in a statement.

"Under its terms, the grievance has been resolved and the Knicks have requested waivers on Stephon. No additional terms will be disclosed."

Los Angeles  - A NASA satellite meant to help scientists get a clearer picture of how the Earth reacts to carbon dioxide failed to reach orbit after launching early Tuesday from an Air Force base in California, NASA said.

The 278-million-dollar Orbiting Carbon Observatory was meant to take about 8 million measurements every 16 days for the next two years to give researchers a clearer picture of how the carbon cycle affects climate and how net emissions vary by region.