ESPN Network: ESPN.com | NFL.com | NBA.com | NHL.com | WNBA.com | ABCSports | EXPN | FANTASY | INSIDER

  Scores/Schedules
  Standings
  Statistics
  Transactions
  Injuries
  Players
  Message Board
  NBA StatSearch
  NBA en espaņol
Clubhouses






Saturday, Mar. 10 8:30pm ET
Francis' late free throws ices Rockets' victory

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

HOUSTON (AP) – Steve Francis is just what the Houston Rockets need.

Antawn Jamison
The Warriors' Antawn Jamison, center, loses the handle as Kenny Thomas defends.
"He's a star player. He does so many things for us. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he's that good, but he's better than we expected," Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said after Francis scored 24 points, including four free throws in the final :09 of play, to lead the Rockets to an 86-81 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Saturday's victory was Houston's 13th in its last 16 games.

Antawn Jamison led Golden State with 33 points, while Chris Porter had 11 and Adonal Foyle 10.

The loss is the sixth straight for Golden State and its 10th in its last 11 games. The Warriors have lost 17 of their last 20 games against the Rockets.

"It's been a crazy year for us. Something always seems to go wrong this season, but we're building for the future," Jamison lamented.

Reserve Moochie Norris scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter for the Rockets.

"We came up with some big plays in the fourth quarter. Moochie played great and really picked us up. We got some offensive rebounds and some second-chance points," Tomjanovich said.

"When I come off the bench, I've got to bring in some positive energy," Norris explained. "I've been working on trying to get more shots when the defense double-teams Cuttino and Steve. That will leave me free and I have to knock down those shots."

A basket by Norris gave Houston a 72-65 lead with 9:27 remaining. Jamison scored twice to cut the Warriors' deficit to 72-69 before Norris scored seven straight to give the Rockets a 79-71 lead with 4:54 on the clock.

Jamison scored six straight points to narrow the score to 82-81 with 29 seconds left before Francis secured the victory with a pair of free throws with nine seconds showing on the clock and two more with two seconds remaining.

Vonteego Cummings missed a 3-point shot for the Warriors with four seconds left that would have tied the game.

"We had a chance to tie it up and I had a great look at the basket. I just blew the shot," Cummings said.

Golden State scored 10 straight points in the first quarter and the Rockets had a 19-2 scoring run in the second period. The Warriors finished the first half with a 14-4 scoring run to lead 46-44 at intermission.

Golden State forged a 59-55 advantage with 5:07 left in the third period. Houston then outscored the Warriors 11-2 to lead 66-61 going into the final period.

Game notes
After losing 21 of 23 games when trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, Houston has won two in a row under those circumstances. ... Houston announced Saturday that it has signed point guard Sean Colson to a second 10-day contract. In three games with the Rockets, Colson has recorded one assist in six minutes of play. ... Mookie Blaylock and Marc Jackson both missed Golden State's game with Houston Saturday. Blaylock was suffering from a stomach virus and Jackson a strained right groin. ... Golden State has used 21 different players this season and has lost an NBA-high 287 player games due to injury. ... Golden State has lost 28 of its last 33 games against Houston.

Send this story to a friend
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

Golden State Clubhouse

Houston Clubhouse


RECAPS
Washington 107
New Jersey 101

Atlanta 93
Chicago 90

Charlotte 100
Milwaukee 90

Orlando 105
Minnesota 93

Houston 86
Golden State 81

AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Steve Francis drives to the hoop and slams it over Antawn Jamison.
avi: 552 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1


ESPN.com:  HELP |  ADVERTISER INFO |  CONTACT US |  TOOLS |  SITE MAP
Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Group. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site. Employment opportunities at ESPN.com.