BRISTOL, Conn. -- Shaq vs. Yao was a TV hit.

The first game between Shaquille O'Neal and Chinese rookie Yao Ming was watched in a little more than 3.3 million homes, giving it the second-highest viewership for an NBA regular-season game on cable.

ESPN's telecast of the Houston Rockets' 108-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime Friday night drew a 3.82 cable rating.

Yao had 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots for the Rockets, while O'Neal finished with 31 points, 13 rebounds and four assists for the three-time defending NBA champion Lakers.

The record for an NBA regular-season game on cable is the 4.745 million TV homes that tuned in Feb. 2, 1996, for TNT's telecast of Magic Johnson's second game out of retirement.