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Saturday, Mar. 4 2:30pm ET
Cato's final four points helps force OT | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) -- Kelvin Cato and Cuttino Mobley saved their best for last. Cato scored Houston's last four points in regulation to help force overtime, then added five points in the extra period to push the Rockets to a 99-92 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Saturday.
"I had some opportunities to score," Cato said. "They passed me the ball and I just finished. We played good defense and everybody got into the mix." Entering the fourth quarter, Mobley had two points and Cato had none. Mobley scored eight in the period as the Rockets came from five down with 4:20 to play to tie it at 86. "Cato told me in the fourth quarter to go get the ball," Mobley said. "Then I just tried to get it and push it up. Good call, Cato." Cato returned the compliment. "Cuttino's a gifted athlete," he said. "He's a second-round draft choice who has proved he can play at this level. In the fourth quarter, he did a good job of distributing the ball as well as making shots. You can't ask for more than that." Six Rockets scored in double figures. Steve Francis led the way with 15 points. "We passed the ball and played good defense to get the win," said Francis, who had nine points the first quarter and only two in each of the next three periods. "I don't know what happened to me. The offense just wasn't working for me then." It was working for most of the Rockets, who combined to overcome a 35-points by Stephon Marbury and 24 from Keith Van Horn. "(Marbury) knows how to get to the basket," Francis said. "He's really a great player. I tried to just neutralize him but it's hard to neutralize a great player." Marbury was only 1-for-3 in the overtime. "They executed down the stretch and we didn't," Marbury said. "Francis played extremely well. He did exactly what he was supposed to do." Nets coach Don Casey lamented his team hitting only 3 of 11 shots from the field and no free throws in the overtime. "Our guys had good looks," he said. "But the shots weren't falling. They made the big plays at the end." The Rockets also had a season-high 13 blocked shots, five by Cato and three by Hakeem Olajuwon. "Dream had several good ones by surprising people who thought he was playing back," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Cato was just in there swatting flies." Kerry Kittles added 17 points as the Nets lost at Houston for the ninth straight time. The win came after the Rockets announced that they had given Tomjanovich a four-year contract extension. The Nets took a 12-6 lead as Marbury scored six points in the first 3:20. But Houston came back behind Francis, with nine first-quarter points, to lead 14-12 with 6:19 left in the period. The Rockets went on a 9-2 run at the end of the quarter to take a 27-18 lead. They stretched the advantage to 10 in the second quarter before settling for a 47-39 halftime advantage. Marbury and Van Horn each had 14 points at the half. Francis had only two points the final three quarters, but added four in the overtime. New Jersey caught the Rockets early in the third quarter behind Marbury. He scored 13 in the period to help give the Nets take a 65-64 lead into the fourth quarter. Houston committed as many turnovers (8) in the third quarter as it had in the first half. The Nets went ahead early in the fourth as Van Horn scored six points to help them to a 74-68 lead. Houston battled back to tie it at 86-86 at the end of regulation.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard New Jersey Clubhouse Houston Clubhouse Rockets add four years to Rudy T's contract
RECAPS Houston 99 New Jersey 92
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