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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) – Maurice Taylor never let up, and the Houston
Rockets have a victory to prove it.
Taylor scored a career-high 34 points in a season-high 48
minutes as the Rockets beat the Orlando Magic 105-95 Friday night.
Cuttino Mobley added 23 points and Hakeem Olajuwon had 16 points
and 11 rebounds as the Rockets won their fourth straight and for
the eighth time in nine games. Steve Francis added 17 points and 11
rebounds.
Houston had lost 12 consecutive regular-season games to Orlando,
a streak that dated to March 1, 1994.
Taylor played seven more minutes than he had in any game this
season, largely because his backup, Kenny Thomas, was out with an
injured Achilles' tendon.
Even when Taylor tired late in the game, his teammates let him
know he couldn't let up.
"I got real tired with about seven and a half minutes to play
in the game," Taylor said. "I came over during a time out and was
slumping on the bench. Steve (Francis) and Cuttino (Mobley) just
started cussing me out telling me I had to get up and keep going
hard.
"I knew they were right. If we're going to win, all of us are
going to have to make extra effort."
Mobley wanted Taylor to know what the team expected.
"This was his game," Mobley said. "We were just being carried
on his back. It's like one game might be my game and one game
Steve's and one game Hakeem's (Olajuwon). Mo was just carrying us
and we were following him and we had to let him know."
Coach Rudy Tomjanovich was glad to see Taylor leading the team
in scoring for the third consecutive game.
"I thought Mo was phenomenal," Tomjanovich said. "Kenny was
out, so I told Mo I was going to have to extend his minutes and to
stay out of foul trouble. He responded in a big way. In a lot of
big ways, actually."
Even Orlando was impressed.
"Maurice is on a roll right now," Orlando coach Doc Rivers
said. "We had to leave someone open to try and stop their guards
so we left him and he hit big shots. He was the key for them to win
tonight."
Tracy McGrady, who scored 32 points, agreed with Rivers.
"Offensively we did a good job," McGrady said. "But we missed
some shots down the stretch and defensively they hurt us. You can't
match a team possession for possession.
"The last six minutes we let our guard down and they seemed to
get every loose ball. They got all the hustle plays and we did not
have an answer for Maurice Taylor. He did a dynamite job inside and
out."
Darrell Armstrong scored 23 as the Magic lost their second
straight after winning nine in a row. Mike Miller had 14 and
Michael Doleac had 10.
Taylor scored 19 points in the first two quarters and helped
Houston keep pace with the Magic.
Houston built a 57-54 lead in a first half that included nine
lead changes and nine ties.
There were six lead changes and three ties in the third quarter
before the Rockets moved out to an 84-80 lead by the end of the
period.
Houston went on a 13-4 run late in the fourth period and took a
102-95 lead with 1:31 to play.
Game notes
Francis left the game for a little more than five minutes
of the second quarter after twisting his right ankle in a collision
with Troy Hudson. Francis returned with 4:52 left in the second. He
returned to start the second half but went more than 20 minutes
without a basket. ... Kenny Thomas missed the game with tendinitis
of his left Achilles' tendon. ... Matt Bullard missed his fifth
straight game with back spasms. ... Houston is 18-4 against the
Eastern Conference. ... Orlando had limited the Rockets to fewer
than 100 points the last 13 times they have played.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Orlando Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Sacramento 119
Toronto 118
Indiana 92
Cleveland 90
Phoenix 88
New York 84
Philadelphia 99
Detroit 78
Minnesota 122
Golden State 83
Houston 105
Orlando 95
Milwaukee 93
Vancouver 81
San Antonio 100
Boston 82
Utah 96
Seattle 84
LA Lakers 113
Atlanta 106
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