MINNEAPOLIS - Tracy McGrady had 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and the surging Houston Rockets held on for a 92-86 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

Though McGrady had a season-high seven turnovers, he made the shots when they counted down the stretch, including the clinching 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go after Al Jefferson led the improving Wolves on an impressive rally. Jefferson had 33 points and 16 rebounds.

Since McGrady came back from his knee injury, Houston has won eight of nine. The Rockets also ran their road winningstreak to eight.

Rashad McCants finished with 15 points for Minnesota, which had its four-game home winningstreak end.

The Wolves fell behind 75-65 with less than 7 1/2 minutes left, but Jefferson and Craig Smith clamped down the post and helped them muscle their way back in the game.

Ryan Gomes made a tip-in to tie it at 82 near the 3-minute mark, and Jefferson did the same with 1:38 remaining to put Minnesota up 86-85. But Gomes was called for traveling on a fast break, and McGrady followed with a long jumper.

Sebastian Telfair, who had a season-high 12 assists, missed the chance to retake the lead with an 18-footer that rimmed out. Then McGrady delivered the big blow, a 3-pointer with 30 seconds on the clock to lift Houston to a 90-86 advantage.

He flashed a smirk to the crowd and tiptoed back to his end of the court, with the back of his hands pressed against his chest.

The Timberwolves have made a sharp turnaround since they were blown out by the Rockets on Jan. 11, the beginning of a five-game losing streak during which they were beaten by an average of more than 15 points.

The improvement has come from better ballhandling, tighter defense and continued low-post excellence by Jefferson, who is averaging more than 21 points and 12 rebounds per game and quickly becoming the cornerstone player Minnesota was seeking when the decision to trade Kevin Garnett was made last summer.

In last month's meeting, the Rockets didn't need much from Yao - he had 15 points in 28 minutes - and didn't need McGrady at all to beat the Wolves by 31 points. Jefferson? He had a season-low six points, just the second time he's scored in single digits, and a paltry six rebounds.

The rarely used Michael Doleac started at center for Minnesota as a counter against Yao and did a decent job of keeping him off the low block in the first and third quarters. But Jefferson was so effective with the ball against Yao that it could have had a carry-over effect on him at the other end.

In one notable stretch, Jefferson stuffed Yao's shot in the lane and then converted a pick-and-roll pass into a dunk on the other end. He took the ball away from Yao for a steal and finished the half with a layup to make it 47-42 and give Minnesota some momentum that stretched well into the third quarter.

The Wolves led 61-58 after two free throws by Jefferson, but they were even more ragged after that and managed only four points in an 8-minute span to fall behind by 10 again.

Notes:@ Steve Francis has been not played for Houston since the middle of December, and quadriceps tendinitis will continue to keep him out indefinitely. "He's not close to being able to play," coach Rick Adelman said. ... Mike James, who was a big disappointment in his one season with Minnesota, has appeared in only four games for the Rockets since Christmas. ... The Wolves host Boston on Friday, but the much-anticipated return of Garnett is in question because of his abdominal injury. Coach Randy Wittman sounded surprised when told about that possibility, but smiled and said he'd prefer, of course, if the perennial All-Star did not play.