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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Cuttino Mobley finished a radio interview
in darkened Oakland Arena, waved to his mother in the emptied
stands and sprinted up the tunnel to the Houston Rockets' locker
room, screaming at the top of his lungs.
He was still riding an adrenaline high from the best game of his
career.
Mobley scored a career-high 41 points, and Walt Williams had 14
of his 22 in the second half as the Rockets beat the Golden State
Warriors 112-104 on Thursday night for their 11th straight win in
Oakland.
"It was one of those things where I got hot early and just kept
it up," Mobley said. "My teammates kept getting it to me, really
feeding me."
With a spate of injuries to their big men, the Rockets have been
forced to rely on Mobley and Steve Francis for offense this year.
While Francis' points are no surprise, Mobley's contributions still
amaze some who remember him as an unheralded second-round draft
pick three years ago.
He even impressed his mother, Jackie, who watched him run by her
in the tunnel and laughed, "That boy's crazy." She and Mobley's
cousin are traveling with the team during their three-game Western
road swing.
"Cuttino was fantastic," Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.
"He really got into a flow and did it in various different ways.
We needed every one of those points."
Mobley got 28 of his points in the first half during a duel with
Antawn Jamison, who scored 26 of his 43 before halftime. But
Jamison, who also had 15 rebounds, got just 10 points in the fourth
quarter as the reeling Warriors lost their sixth straight.
"I don't care about points or numbers," Jamison said. "That's
not the game. The game is winning. It's getting to the point where
it's really tough now."
Houston broke open a tight game with a 14-4 run in the third,
but Golden State pulled within seven with 4-plus minutes left. Mobley
scored six in the next three minutes as the Rockets pulled away for
their eighth road win in 11 games.
Moochie Norris, who beat the Warriors in Oakland last month with
a bank-shot 3-pointer as time expired, had seven in the fourth as
the Rockets held on. Houston is the NBA's only team with a winning
road record (11-9) and a losing home record.
Bob Sura matched his career high with 31 points as Golden State,
the NBA's worst defensive team, allowed Houston to shoot 52
percent. The Rockets finished just three points shy of their best
offensive output of the season even while playing without four of
their big men.
"Our defense was the problem, not the scoring," Sura said.
"We weren't able to stop them at any point."
Maurice Taylor started for Houston, but he went to the locker
room midway through the first quarter and didn't return. He has had
the flu for several days, and his absence -- along with the absences
of Hakeem Olajuwon, Carlos Rogers and Kelvin Cato -- forced the
Rockets to rely on their talented guards.
"We like (to play) this way. We like doing playground ball,"
Mobley said.
Francis deferred to the red-hot Mobley on offense and had just
10 points and nine assists, but he hit two 3-pointers in the fourth
quarter. Kenny Thomas had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Warriors know all about injuries. Larry Hughes, Chris
Porter, Adonal Foyle and Erick Dampier were on the bench in street
clothes, while Danny Fortson and Chris Mills are on the injured
list.
Sura scored most of his points from the outside while Jamison
scored from everywhere, but Mookie Blaylock, who had 11 points and
11 assists, was the Warriors' only other player in double digits.
Chris Mullin went scoreless in 16 minutes, and Golden State's bench
was outscored 42-13.
Notes:
Jamison had more than 20 points in a half for the seventh
time this season, and it was his third game with more than 40
points this year. That's the most by any Golden State player since
Latrell Sprewell had six 40-point games in 1996-97. ... Attendance
was 12,098, more than 7,000 below capacity at Oakland Arena. Still,
the Warriors boast the NBA's largest increase in attendance between
this season and last. ... Both teams play again on Friday night.
Houston visits the Lakers, while Golden State travels to Phoenix.
... Mobley hit a 3-pointer as time expired in the first quarter.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 84
Atlanta 76
Dallas 115
Orlando 106
Portland 85
Miami 74
Detroit 116
Chicago 110
Houston 112
Golden State 104
Boston 82
LA Clippers 79
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site
Antawn Jamison Official Site
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