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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
TORONTO (AP) -- For someone who didn't get much sleep, Steve
Francis played with a lot of energy Tuesday night.
|  | | Rockets guard Steve Francis dunked in Raptors' guard Vince Carter's home on Tuesday. Francis had 24 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. |
Francis had 27 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to lead the
Houston Rockets to an easy 110-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
"At the beginning I didn't think I was myself. But as the game
progressed, I made some good passes and guys were scoring so I
thought, 'Hey, let me get involved in the action,' " Francis said.
Francis said his pregame routine was thrown off.
"The hotel was terrible. There was construction all day and I
didn't get a nap and last night I didn't really sleep," he said.
The Raptors looked asleep all night on the court as the Rockets
rolled all over them with outstanding shooting.
Cuttino Mobley had a game-high 27 points for Houston, which shot
53 percent and had five players score in double digits.
The Rockets were especially sharp from 3-point range, making 13
of 20 attempts with reserve and former Raptor Walt Williams hitting
all four tries despite battling the flu.
Shandon Anderson had 17 points, Williams added 14 and Maurice
Taylor had 10 points for the Rockets.
"We just tried to be aggressive and we just found a groove,"
Mobley said. "The game plan was to get Vince (Carter) to take
tough shots, get the rebound and push the ball up the court."
Toronto had a miserable shooting game at 39 percent, including
several airballs.
Carter had 24 points on 9-for-22 shooting for the struggling
Raptors and Kevin Willis had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Morris
Peterson had 15 points.
"It seemed like every shot they took they made," Peterson
said. "Their big guys made their 3s."
Carter, who bruised his calf in Toronto's game on Sunday, got
into foul trouble early in the fourth quarter.
As soon as Carter was pulled, Francis hit a 3-pointer and Mobley
came in for a big dunk to make it 86-64 one minute into the final
quarter as Houston eventually opened a 28-point lead.
"We really had a great team effort," said Francis, who also
had a pair of steals and two blocked shots. "And we didn't let
them back into the game, which is a sign of maturity for a young
team."
Francis, who scored on a sparkling alley-oop early in the second
quarter, sparked a 18-6 run to give the Rockets a 58-40 lead at
halftime, bringing out boos from the home crowd.
"This is no time to panic or jump off the ship," Mark Jackson
said. "There's a lot of season left."
Midway through the quarter, Corliss Williamson had a layup
knocked away on a highlight-reel block by Francis, who came out of
nowhere to smack it away off the backboard. The Rockets came down
the floor and Francis made a nice spin move in close to make it
42-34.
A minute later, Francis made a steal, came down on a fast break
and fed Mobley for an easy dunk as the Rockets began to pull away.
"He played with intensity, blocking shots, going hard to the
basket but we've become accustomed to seeing that," Williams said.
"Anything extraordinary he did tonight, he's doing every night."
Game notes
Houston is 8-1 against Eastern Conference teams. ...
Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon, who has already missed four games,
was put on the injured list Tuesday because of a swollen right knee
and will miss at least five more. Rookie Jason Collier was
activated in his place. ... The game was the teams' first meeting
of the season with the rematch Jan. 16 in Houston. In their last
matchup, Carter won the game on a last-second dunk March 19. ...
Injured Raptors guard Muggsy Bogues (knee) turned 36 on Tuesday.
Toronto was also missing Antonio Davis (groin). ... The Raptors are
the only team to have a player in the top 10 in points (Carter),
rebounds (Davis) and assists (Jackson). Francis is the only player
to lead his team in all three categories. ... Actor Michael Douglas
was in the stands.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Toronto Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 102
Chicago 95
Houston 110
Toronto 91
Seattle 95
Atlanta 86
Philadelphia 104
New Jersey 87
Milwaukee 99
Washington 95
San Antonio 112
Orlando 95
Utah 103
Indiana 99
Denver 112
Vancouver 105
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Vince Carter Official Site
Mark Jackson Official Site
Lenny Wilkens Official Site
Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site
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