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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) – On the night Maryland played its first Final
Four game, former Terrapins Steve Francis and Laron Profit dueled
on the court. Then they hurried to find a TV.
|  | | Steve Francis scored 25 for the Rockets, but his beloved Maryland Terrapins fell in the NCAA's Final Four. |
Jawing, bumping and smiling as they faced each other for the
first time in the NBA, Francis had 25 points and Profit set career
highs with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven steals as the
Houston Rockets beat the Washington Wizards 96-86 Saturday night.
"Me and Laron played against each other in the summertime and
the fall," Francis said. "He knows just about every move that I'm
going to do, and I'm pretty much content in knowing what he's going to do."
Profit and Francis were fast on the court, but nothing could match the speed at which Profit got dressed afterward as he tried to find a place to watch the end of the Maryland-Duke NCAA game, won by Duke. He put on his sweater and was headed for the elevator while many of his teammates were still in uniform.
"I was definitely involved in trying to hear what the score was," said Profit, who smiled whenever the public address announcer gave favorable Maryland score updates.
Meanwhile, Francis was watching the game in the Rockets locker room, yelling at the screen with such emotion that a member of the Houston staff exclaimed: "Stevie, you do this for 11 minutes, you're going to be dead."
"I was over at the table asking for the scores just about every five or 10 minutes," Francis said. "I feel like I'm going to be playing this game, too. I've got to go out and say hello to my family, then I'm coming right back in here to watch the rest of the game."
The evening had a disappointing ending for Francis and Profit as Duke beat Maryland 95-84.
As for the Rockets-Wizards game, Francis and Profit waged a good
battle in a close game for three quarters. The fourth quarter was
all Rockets, who went on a 15-0 run to break a four-game road
losing streak in their bid to move into playoff position.
"We were acting like we were them," said Houston guard Cuttino
Mobley, a reference to the Wizards' awful record.
The game's Duke participant, Christian Laettner of the Wizards, had 16 points. Courtney Alexander also had 16 points and nine rebounds for the
Wizards, who led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter.
Mobley added 17 points for the Rockets, who overcame a double-digit
deficit to win for the 10th time this season.
Hakeem Olajuwon, playing in his third game since recovering from
a blood disorder, finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and three
blocked shots for the Rockets.
But the show was put on by the two No. 3s -- Francis and Profit.
Profit, making his third start of the season and fourth of his
career, held his own. He hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to
give the Wizards a 43-35 lead, stole the ball from Francis to stop
a fast break in the third quarter and nailed another 3-pointer a
minute later to cap a big momentum swing.
Francis had two jaw-dropping moves to the baskets in the third,
but both came against defenders other than Profit. Francis
especially looked out of kilter when he dribbled the ball out of
the bounds against a standard double-team.
Profit stole the ball from Shandon Anderson and dunked it to
break at 62-62 tie in the last minute of the third quarter, but
that was the Wizards' last hurrah. Francis hit a 3-pointer to start
the fourth quarter, and soon the Wizards were mired in a 5:22
scoring drought.
Francis and his teammates closed out the game. He was 6-for-7
from the field in the second half, including 3-for-3 in the fourth
quarter.
"We never seemed to get into an offensive flow the entire game," Washington coach Leonard Hamilton said.
Game notes
Instead of the usual scout tapes, both teams were watching the Arizona-Michigan State Final Four game in their respective
locker rooms before the game. ... Washington center Jahidi White was 4-for-12 from the line. ... The Wizards had a 30-16 edge in
second-chance points. ... Washington is on an 0-7 run against teams
that aren't Golden State. The Wizards beat the Warriors twice
recently. ... Houston is 24-4 against Eastern Conference teams,
16-29 against the West. ... The Rockets' victory leaves Golden
State as the only team that has not won a game at the MCI Center
since the arena opening in December 1997.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Houston 96
Washington 86
Atlanta 99
Denver 88
Miami 97
Chicago 90
Milwaukee 86
San Antonio 77
LA Clippers 104
Cleveland 97
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