体坛英语新闻：Visiting Shanghai Sharks lose NBA pre-season game against Houston Rockets 94-131

HOUSTON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The visiting Shanghai Sharks lost the NBA pre-season game against the Houston Rockets 94-131 at the Toyota Center on Sunday night.

For the Sharks, owned by the former Rockets star Yao Ming, it is the team's first time to participate in a NBA pre-season game, which is also the Rockets' pre-season opener of the NBA 2016-17 season under new head coach Mike D'Antoni.

For the two teams, they all had done their best in the game, but as compared with the visiting team, the Rockets did much better during the game.

At the first half, the Sharks did have a good start with 6-0 in the beginning of the game, but unfortunately, it was left behind the Rockets 45-72, and the Rockets took the win in the end with a 37-point margin.

Jimmer Fredette scored 33 points for the Sharks and his teammates Guerschon Yabusele and Liu Xiaoyu added 24 points and 14 points respectively.

James Harden gained 16 points with 10 assists for the Rockets while three of his teammates, including Ryan Anderson, had 12 points each.

When asked about his comments on the Sharks' debut here, the Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni told Xinhua that he had no doubt about the Sharks' play in the future.

"They have skills, what they need is just keep playing, keep improving, keeping making better. I have no doubt about their play," he said.