RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

CHICAGO (AP) _ See what you've missed, Chicago. That's what Steve Francis seemed to be saying with his play Saturday night.

Upset last summer when the Bulls made Elton Brand and not him the first pick in last summer's draft, Francis matched a career high with 27 points _ 23 in the first half_ and had 11 assists as the Rockets held on to beat the Bulls 93-90.

Toni Kukoc scored 29 points for the Bulls, who have lost three straight following a three-game winning streak. Brand did OK, too, adding 15 points to go with 11 rebounds.

The Bulls trailed by 10 with 4:13 left and were down six with just less than three minutes to go when Francis drove the baseline and then dished to Anthony Miller for a layup. Francis then sprinted to midcourt raising his arms.

The Bulls then ran off seven straight points, including a followup by former Rockets guard Matt Maloney, but could never get the lead. Maloney missed two shots in the final 16 seconds, the second on a driving lauyp against Francis with six seconds left.

Kenny Thomas and Miller then hit free throws in the closing seconds to wrap up the victory. Walt Williams added 17 points for Houston.

Francis didn't score as much in the second half because the Bulls had to double team him after he erupted for 19 first-quarter points, including a spectacular 10-point spurt in the final 69 seconds as the Rockets built a 17-point lead they never lost.

The Bulls trailed by 15 in the third quarter, but cooled Francis off with a double team and caught up with a 17-4 run that featured Kukoc's seven free throws.

Francis started the 10-point personal spurt with a highlight-film double-crossover dribble and then dunked on the baseline. Seconds later, he stole the ball and went flying to the basket, stopping in time to flip the ball to himself for another crowd-oohing slam.

He wasn't finished, adding back-to-back 3-pointers to close the first quarter and give the Rockets a 37-22 lead.

For the first period, Francis had 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and three dunks. He finished 12-of-17 from the field. ^Notes@: Francis said before the game he has no real interest in winning the Rookie of the Year Award and right now it was tossup between Brand and the Clippers' Lamar Odom. But Francis also added: "If they're looking for the complete player, I guess I win it." Francis said he'd gotten over not being the No. 1 pick in the draft. Always a Bulls fan because of Michael Jordan, Francis was noticeably upset when the Bulls chose Brand, who is a friend, ahead of him. "At the time I was kind of upset, but knowing who they picked, they got a good pick and I have to respect that." ... Kukoc, who had 10 turnovers in a loss to Atlanta on Friday, had only two.