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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) -- It was all Houston's sellout crowd could ask for:
another chance to boo Scottie Pippen and to see the Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers.
Steve Francis scored 26 points, including six in the final 3:37, as the Rockets held off the Trail Blazers 90-89 Tuesday night for
their season-high, fourth straight victory.
|  | | Shooting over the Dream turned out to be a nightmare for Portland's Brian Grant. Hakeem Olajuwon had four blocks in his 19 minutes. |
"This is the first time for me to win four in a row in the NBA
and it really feels good," Francis said. "With all the injuries
that we have had and Hakeem (Olajuwon) less than 100 percent, we
still have the willpower as a team to get things done."
With the Rockets trailing 84-82, Francis hit two free throws
with 3:37 to play and he added a layup with 2:19 to go that put the
Rockets ahead for good. A 17-foot jumper by Francis and two free
throws by Anthony Miller increased the lead to 90-84 with 1:23 left.
It was Pippen's second visit to Houston since the Rockets traded
him in the offseason and he was razzed each time he touched the
ball. Pippen had 12 points and eight assists.
Pippen didn't want to talk about taunts but he was impressed
with Francis and fellow rookie Kenny Thomas, who had a career-high 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Francis had 12 assists for the second straight game
"They played well, they did what they had to do to win," Pippen said. "Kenny Thomas stepped up and hit some big shots. He was spectacular. He gave them the inside scoring they needed."
After Houston took a six-point lead, Rasheed Wallace completed a three-point play with 1:05 to play and Pippen added a layup with 34
seconds to play to cut Houston's lead to one.
Portland got two chances to win, but Pippen missed a driving
layup with 5.7 seconds to play and Greg Anthony's final shot
bounced off the rim.
"I was the first option on the play," Pippen said. "I always expect to get the call. You saw what happened."
Steve Smith led the Trail Blazers with 21 points and Wallace finished with 17.
Francis got hot in the third quarter, leading a 15-4 Houston run
that gave the Rockets a 67-64 lead with 2:39 left in the third
quarter. Francis had eight points in the run and the Rockets led
73-71 after three.
"I think this is our most impressive win of the year," Rockets
coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Yes, we had beaten the Lakers, but
this was like a road game for us with the back to backs, but to
overcome the adversity of the first half with all the changes we've
had is phenomenal."
Olajuwon played before the home crowd for the first time after
missing 20 games recovering from hernia surgery and drew loud
applause when he entered with game with 2:59 left in the first
quarter. Olajuwon had six points, four blocks and three steals in
19 minutes.
"This was a big win for them," Pippen said. "They beat one of
the top teams in the NBA. Sometimes a win like this can turn a
whole season around. They are very scrappy and they play hard."
Game notes
Francis has double-figure assists in four straight games,
the most for a Rockets player since Kenny Smith had four straight
games of 10 or more assists. ... The Rockets are 5-0 when shooting
50 percent from the field. ... The Blazers have held 35 of 38
opponents under 100 points. ... Portland's 15-7 road record is the
second best in the NBA.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chicago 92
Miami 85
Houston 90
Portland 89
Seattle 99
Cleveland 80
Sacramento 104
LA Clippers 98
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