01/14/2008 - 10:18
Defense Gets It Done
by Joshua Aronson

Ty and New Orleans jumped back into the win column over the weekend with two impressive victories -- the first a 114-88 drubbing of the listless Miami Heat, the second an 87-82 nailbiter over Houston that saw No. 6 make big plays down the stretch to seal the deal.

Sunday night, Tyson snatched 14 rebounds to go with seven points, two steals and a block en route to grounding the Rockets. His play in the final minutes of the fourth quarter was instrumental, as the Associated Press reported:

The Hornets trailed most of the second half -- outscored 18-2 during a Houston run -- until Tyson Chandler stripped the ball twice from Yao late in the fourth quarter, triggering fast breaks. Rasual Butler finished the second one with a dunk with 1:35 left, got fouled and hit the free throw to put New Orleans up 81-78.

After the game, Tyson admitted that Yao poses one of the greatest defensive challenges in the NBA.

"I definitely have to add ice packs after I play against Yao," Chandler said. "I'm amazed by his size, strength, and he is so agile being as big as he is. In the Rockets' offense, he is not sitting in one position, and you cannot key up on him."

Ty battling Yao during the Hornets' 87-82 win over the Rockets (Getty Images).

MIAMI DICED
A game after being hammered by the Los Angeles Lakers, Tyson and Co. passed the blowout karma to the Miami Heat. Ty put up 19 points to go with six rebounds and two blocks in only 30.5 minutes of play.

RELATED STORIES
Mission Accomplished (Times-Picayune, Jan. 14, 2008)
New Orleans 87, Houston 82 (Associated Press, Jan. 13, 2008)
New Orleans 114, Miami 88 (Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2008)