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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Moochie Norris had practiced this shot thousands of times. Still, he was surprised when it made him a hero.
|  | | Houston's Steve Francis dunks over Chris Porter for two of his 16 points. |
Norris banked in a 3-pointer from three steps behind the line as time expired, giving the Houston Rockets a 98-95 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
"I just tried to heave one up there," Norris said. "It really
felt good to me from the time I got the ball -- but wow, you never
know for sure."
Norris, who bounced through four NBA teams and the CBA in the
last four years before finding a home as Steve Francis' backup, hadn't hit a game-winner since his minor-league days. But he was
prepared: He shoots 30 to 50 long 3-pointers at nearly every
practice, just in case such a situation arises.
"I felt like he had a chance when he got it off, because he
always practices that shot," said Maurice Taylor, who led Houston with 22 points. "I don't know if he caught glass or not, but I'll
accept it."
Cuttino Mobley added 20 points, and Francis had 16 points and 12
assists for the Rockets, who won their third straight and finished
their road trip at 3-1 despite blowing a 15-point lead in the
second half to an injury-riddled Warriors team playing with an
eight-man rotation.
Golden State made a 26-11 run, and Antawn Jamison's free throws
with 2:28 left gave the Warriors a 93-91 lead, their first since
the second quarter.
After Jamison's layup tied the game with 17 seconds left, the Rockets got the ball to Mobley, who was double-teamed. Houston ran the clock nearly to zero before Mobley passed to Norris, who banked in his 34-foot shot from straightaway to give Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich his 400th victory.
"It was a lucky shot," Warriors coach Dave Cowens said. "He's the least likely guy to make a shot like that for them."
Norris threw his black headband in the air in disbelief as he
leaped and sprinted off the court behind Mobley, while several
Warriors collapsed on the court in frustration. It was his only
field goal of the game.
"I didn't know which direction to run," Norris said with a laugh. "When I saw where Cuttino was headed, I just thought I'd follow him."
Houston got its 10th straight win in Oakland and beat Golden State for the 15th time in their last 17 meetings.
Houston overcame a solid challenge from the Warriors, who got a
career-high 20 points from rookie Chris Porter but lost their
fourth straight. Larry Hughes scored 15 points but was ejected
after a tantrum late in the third quarter, leaving the Warriors
with just nine players in uniform.
Jamison, who had back-to-back 51-point games last week, missed
16 of his first 20 shots Thursday but finished with 23 points and
11 rebounds. He missed three shots in the final two minutes as the
Warriors blew several chances to take the game away from Houston.
"I hurt my team more than anything tonight," Jamison said.
"Down the stretch, I missed too many easy shots. It was bad."
Before the Warriors made their run, the Rockets were a loose and
happy bunch. They joshed with the officials, faked passes at the
Oakland Arena crowd and ran phantom fast breaks long after the
whistle had blown.
With five seconds left in the third quarter, Hughes made a layup
but became enraged when a foul wasn't called. After a protracted
argument, referee Bill Kennedy gave Hughes two technicals, and
teammates restrained Hughes from continuing the discussion.
Hughes, who's averaging 18.2 points this season, had 15 points
on 6-of-17 shooting and seven rebounds when he was tossed. It was
the second straight poor shooting game for Hughes, who went 4-of-24
in Tuesday's loss to Portland.
Game notes
Warriors C Adonal Foyle bricked an open layup late in the
second quarter, but he had an excuse: His right hand is so heavily
taped that he can't bend his fingers, let along grip a ball. Foyle
has ligament damage in the hand, but the Warriors are so decimated
by injuries that Foyle was forced to suit up. He didn't take a shot
while playing 17 minutes in the Warriors' loss to Portland on
Tuesday night. ... Just 10,417 attended in a building that holds
more than 19,000. ... Rookie center Marc Jackson had 15 points and
10 rebounds for the Warriors.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site
Antawn Jamison Official Site
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