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Houston • The Houston Rockets gave Yao Ming a warm welcome and his Shanghai Sharks a rude one.
James Harden had 16 points and 10 assists, and the Rockets beat the Sharks 131-94 on Sunday night in their exhibition opener.
The Rockets had 72 points by halftime in their first game under coach Mike D'Antoni.
Former BYU star Jimmer Fredette scored 33 points to lead the Sharks. The former NCAA player of the year, who played briefly for the New York Knicks last season, added eight assists.
Yao, the former Rockets star who was enshrined last month in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, received a huge ovation when shown on the overhead videoboard. He now owns the Sharks, the team he played before being the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft.
Nene and Ryan Anderson both had 12 points in their first games with Houston. K.J. McDaniels also finished with 12. Eric Gordon had eight points in his Rockets debut.