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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) – Career-highs in points and minutes were of no
solace to Houston's Dan Langhi. Not with the Rockets being eliminated from playoff contention.
"It stinks. I'd rather be on the bench and us going to the
playoffs," Langhi said after contributing 13 points and five
rebounds in 31 minutes of a 100-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Voshon Lenard hit a 10-foot jump shot from the baseline with two
seconds left to give Denver the victory. Steve Francis missed a
long 3-pointer at the final buzzer.
"It went exactly like we drew it up," Lenard said. "(Robert) Pack was supposed to penetrate on the baseline. For some reason they left me alone. Pack was falling out of bounds when he passed it to me and I gave a pump fake and hit it."
Denver played without its two leading scorers, Antonio McDyess
and Nick Van Exel, both of whom are injured.
"Playing without Mac and Nick, we played extremely hard. It was
rewarding to have the team respond like that," Denver Coach Dan
Issel said.
Pack led Denver with 20 points, followed by Lenard with 18,
Kevin Willis with 17, James Posey with 15, George McCloud with 12
and Raef LaFrentz with 10.
Moochie Norris and Francis contributed 25 and 14, respectively,
for Houston.
Langhi, a rookie, entered the game averaging 6.1 minutes and 2.2
points in 30 games.
"I felt comfortable out there. It's nice to play some minutes
when it counts rather than at garbage time," Langhi said.
Cuttino Mobley, who led Houston with 27 points, is looking
forward to a playoff appearance next season.
"We knew we weren't going to the playoffs, this just makes it
for sure. But we still played hard and hopefully we can build on
what we did this year and get in the playoffs next year," Mobley
said.
A basket by Langhi gave Houston its first lead of the game,
85-84, with 9:45 remaining. A 3-point shot by Francis and a pair of
free throws by Langhi increased the lead to 90-84 with seven
minutes left.
Consecutive 3-point shots by Pack and a pair of baskets by
Willis moved Denver ahead 96-94 with 4:03 left. Houston then scored
five straight to regain the lead, 99-96 with 53 seconds remaining.
A basket by Pack with 37 seconds left cut the Houston lead to 99-98, and Lenard gave the Nuggets the lead before Francis missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
Denver took a 13-6 lead after nine points by Willis. A 3-point
shot by McCloud capped nine straight points by the Nuggets to boost
their lead to 24-11 with 3:25 left in the first quarter. Houston
cut its deficit to 30-24 going into the second period.
Norris came off the bench to score 19 second-quarter points to pull Houston to within three, 52-49, at the half. It is the most points ever in a quarter for Norris in the NBA.
Mobley scored 13 third-quarter points while Pack had 10 for Denver in the period, and the Nuggets held an 80-77 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Game notes
Francis needs 13 assists to become the first player in
Rockets history to record 500 assists and 500 rebounds in a season.
Last season, Francis became the first Rocket to grab at least 400
rebounds and record 500 assists ... Hakeem Olajuwon did not play because of a left foot sprain ... Denver's 38 victories is their most since they won 41 during the 1994-95 season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Denver Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 101
Orlando 78
Miami 83
Philadelphia 81
Milwaukee 105
Chicago 84
Denver 100
Houston 99
San Antonio 91
Dallas 79
Portland 116
Golden State 88
Minnesota 104
Vancouver 91
LA Lakers 106
Phoenix 80
Sacramento 116
LA Clippers 109
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