HOUSTON — Tracy McGrady was not going to endure another first-round meltdown without a fight.

He refused to be denied in Game 6, and now he'll have one more chance to advance in the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Playing with the desperation of a man on the brink of elimination, McGrady had 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to help the Houston Rockets avoid a first-round exit with a 101-83 victory over Dallas last night.

The series is now tied 3-3, with Game 7 in Dallas tomorrow. The winner will face top-seeded Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals.

"Hopefully, it will be a classic," McGrady said. "I'm just going to lay everything on the line, and I'm going to bring my teammates with me."

Mike James came off the bench for 22 points and Jon Barry scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter for the Rockets, who have been bounced in the opening round in their last three playoff appearances. Houston last won a series in 1997, when the lineup featured Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley.

Jerry Stackhouse led Dallas with 21 points, and Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 on only 5-of-22 shooting as he continued his series-long struggles against McGrady's defense.

Rockets fans who were disappointed by blown fourth-quarter leads in the last two home games, including a 20-0 run by Dallas in Game 3, were treated to an improbably dominant finish in this one.

McGrady, who has never advanced past the first round in his eight-year career, came through in the clutch to avoid watching his team blow a two-game lead for the second straight time.

McGrady scored eight straight points, including two three-pointers, during a 19-0 spurt that turned a close game into a rout and gave Houston a 101-80 lead. Dallas could not stop McGrady with double-teams, rough play or simply allowing him to fire away from outside.

The Mavericks couldn't even counter with their highly touted offense. Dallas shot 4 for 27 in the final period, watching shot after shot bounce off the rim as the Rockets pulled away down the stretch.

"We lost the game. We don't make excuses," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "The game was called fairly, pretty much. No excuses. No complaining."