CLEVELAND – The Rockets came in with a solid, if somewhat delusional strategy.

“The game plan,” Shane Battier revealed, “was to hope (LeBron James) had a good time in New Orleans,”

The Rockets did not plan on both teams clanging their way around as if every Rockets and Cavaliers player had all made the All-Star game and were stuck on Bourbon Street.

The Rockets, however, still believe that if a game is to be decided by defense, they will happily count on theirs. So they tightened their defensive clamps around the often-fragile Cleveland Cavaliers offense until they blew open the game in the fourth quarter, handling the Cavs, 93-85, on Tuesday to stretch their road winning streak to nine games, matching the franchise record.

The win was the Rockets’ ninth-consecutive overall, the longest active streak in the NBA and matching the Rockets’ longest since the 1998-99 season. They haven’t have had a longer streak since 1993-94, the first championship season.

The past seven opponents failed to score 90, moving within one game of the Rockets longest run ever holding opponents to fewer than 90 points.

“I don’t think we get as much hype about our defense as we did last year, but we think we’re a pretty solid defensive team,” said Rockets forward Shane Battier after keeping James under control most of the night. “When we clamp in and concentrate, we can do some really nice things on defense.”

James finished with 26 points with 13 rebounds and 11 rebounds. But he made just 7 of 18 shots, even with consecutive 3s in the final minutes after the Rockets led by 16. He was 0 for 7 in the first half.

Even with their late flurry of scoring, the Cavaliers made just 37.5 percent of their shots.

For most of the night, however, the Rockets were not much better. Tracy McGrady had 17 points, adding eight assists. Yao Ming had 16 with 14 rebounds. But McGrady combined to make 9 of 38 shots. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Rockets were making 39 percent of their shots and going against the team with the most fourth-quarter comebacks in the NBA this season, and with the leading fourth-quarter scorer.

That’s when the Rockets took over and were never challenged again.

“What we’re developing on this team is a team like the Pistons,” McGrady said. “Great defensive team, going out there, playing together and not really relying on one of two people to score the rock. What we really care about is playing great defense and just playing together and it showed.”

Actually, the Rockets did rely on one scorer, but it was not their All-Star or former All-Star.

Rafer Alston made 8 of 15 shots, leading the Rockets with 22 points and adding six assists. In the winning streak, he has averaged 15 points on 43.6 percent shooting, and 7.3 assists.

“I have some unbelievable teammates because they understand I’m in a rhythm in this stretch of games and they encourage me to continue to shoot the ball,” Alston said. “It helps to have two superstars that draw so much attention that I’m wide open. In years past I’ve been inconsistent in helping them out by consistently knocking down the shot. I’m knocking them down consistently in this stretch of wins.”

The Cavaliers sent double teams to Yao and crowded the lane on McGrady. That was nothing new. But rarely have the Rockets needed Alston – and the boost they got from Luis Scola and Carl Landry combining for 23 points with 14 rebounds – more than Tuesday.

“Rafer’s playing unbelievable,” said McGrady, who has made 23 of 73 shots in his past five games. “With my offense now, I’m struggling. I’m struggling with my shot. I don’t know what’s going on with me offensively. With Rafer playing so well and other guys playing so well, it’s really a great feeling to have all the pressure on you offensively. I suck right now. I get it going every now and then, but through the course of the game, I suck.”

He did get a brief surge late in the third quarter, scoring the Rockets final six points to head into the fourth with a seven-point lead. The Rockets took off from there, scoring 19 points in a span of five minutes to end the third and start the fourth quarters, rushing the lead to 79-66.

Their defense took it from there, having carried the Rockets most of the way, already.