Rashard Lewis scored 27 points in his return from a one-game absence and rookie Luke Ridnour had eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter for the Seattle SuperSonics, who beat the Houston Rockets 95-88 Saturday night.

Lewis, who shot 9-of-18 from the floor, missed Friday night's loss at Utah because of a death in his family.

Antonio Daniels made his first start of the season, scoring 13 points, while Ronald Murray came off the bench for 12 and Brent Barry added 10. The Sonics had lost three of four at home.

Steve Francis led the Rockets with 28 points, but he scored only four in the fourth quarter — all from the foul line. Ridnour had something to do with that, as the rookie point guard guarded Francis for much of the final period.

Yao Ming scored 19 points with nine rebounds while Maurice Taylor scored 13 and Jim Jackson had 12. The Rockets wrapped up a five-game road trip with only one victory, beating the Los Angeles Clippers.

Ridnour had a spectacular fourth quarter, hitting 3-of-5 from the floor and, when he wasn't shooting, finding Murray or another teammate for a jumper. He either scored or assisted on five of the first six Sonics baskets in the period.

The rookie also spent much of the period defending Francis, who had 24 points after three quarters. Francis hit four free throws for his only points of the final period and missed a 3-pointer with 29.5 seconds to go with Houston trailing 91-87.

The Rockets shot 8-for-33 in the second half.

Ridnour hit two baskets, one a 3-pointer, and Murray added another jumper as the Sonics built an 86-77 lead with 5:06 remaining.

Seattle erased a 56-52 halftime deficit, using a 16-8 run over the last 8:40 of the third period to make it a game. The Sonics outscored the Rockets 25-17 in the fourth quarter, the first time this season they'd won the final period.

They rallied with steady defense, holding the Rockets to one field goal for a 14-minute stretch over the third and fourth quarters, and good ball movement to create open shots.

Both teams were coming off forgettable performances. The Rockets had 74 points in a loss Friday night at Sacramento, their second-lowest output of the season, while the Sonics committed 21 turnovers in a loss at Utah.

It was a boost for the Sonics, who had lost five of seven after a 5-1 start.

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