McGrady and Rockets blast off in Orlando

Tracy McGrady showed his former team what he can do with some help.

Playing in Orlando for the first time since a bitter parting last summer, McGrady scored 27 points to lead a balanced offense and the Houston Rockets beat the Magic 108-99 on Thursday night.

Yao Ming added 20 points, and Bob Sura had 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. David Wesley scored 18, and Juwan Howard 13.

It was McGrady's insistence on playing with a decent supporting cast, something the Magic could never provide, that prompted his departure in a blockbuster, seven-player trade.

Yao made his first seven shots, which had to please McGrady. In Orlando, he quickly grew tired of looking inside and seeing has-beens (Patrick Ewing, Shawn Kemp) and role players (Andrew DeClercq, Michael Doleac).

Steve Francis, the biggest name Orlando received in the deal, led the Magic with 28 points and nine assists.

Grant Hill had 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting, the day after an MRI exam on his sore right wrist showed only a bruise. On Tuesday, Hill scored a season-low eight points on 4-for-14 shooting.

The sellout crowd, focusing its frustration for last season's 61-loss debacle on McGrady, booed the two-time scoring champion from introductions on. Many waved signs roasting "Me-Mac" for his recent disclosure that he slacked off during his final season here.

But it didn't take long for McGrady and the Rockets to take the fans out of the game. He scored nine in the first quarter, his shot clock-beating 3-pointer putting Houston ahead 33-21.

Orlando trailed by 17 midway through the second quarter, but rallied to cut the deficit to four points with 3:37 remaining.

That's when McGrady stopped the comeback.

He hit two free throws, then sank a layup off an inbounds pass under the basket for a 100-93 lead.

McGrady was 8-of-21, including 1-for-7 on 3 pointers, but made 10 of 12 free throws.

Much of the night, he was guarded by Hill — ironic because Hill's chronic injuries convinced McGrady he would forever have to carry the Magic.

Although the booing was expected, it was still jarring because McGrady could do no wrong here for three seasons. Living the story of local boy-makes-good, he was serenaded with chants of "MVP!" by fans enthralled with his soaring drives to the hoop and long-distance shots, all delivered seemingly without effort.