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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) – The Houston Rockets finally got their inside and
outside games working at the same time.
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Steve Francis scored 10 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter
as the Rockets beat Atlanta 110-97 Saturday night, extending the
Hawks' road losing streak to 11 games and completing a 16-0 sweep
of Central Division teams.
Hakeem Olajuwon added 26 points for Houston.
"It's great to have that inside-outside balance," Francis
said. "We've tried to get that all season, with Hakeem and me
clicking at the same time.
"Scoring wise, this is the best inside-outside game Hakeem and
I have had. Tonight we did a good job of weathering the storm. They
came at us a lot of different ways and we handled them all."
Houston's sweep of the Central Division marked just the second
time in NBA history that a team has swept a division. The 1982-83
Los Angeles Lakers went 12-0 against the Central Division.
"It's always surprising when a team comes up with that kind of
mark," Atlanta coach Lon Kruger said. "Their team is extremely
hard to match up against and they did what they needed to do to
match up against the Central Division."
Olajuwon credited Francis with the pair's success.
"Playing with Steve makes my job so much easier," Olajuwon
said. "He's such a complete player. He has some great moves and
shoots from the outside and in the post. We communicate well on the
floor."
Cuttino Mobley added 21 points and Kenny Thomas 14 for Houston.
Jason Terry led Atlanta with 23 points. Dion Glover scored 17,
Nazr Mohammed 15 and Alan Henderson and Lorenzen Wright each added
14.
"It was tough for us to get our offense going. Houston made
some big shots and their offensive rebounding killed us," Terry
said.
Houston is four games behind Minnesota in the race for the
eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Rockets have
five regular-season games remaining.
"I don't think we are out of it mathematically. We still
believe there is hope," Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.
With Houston leading 80-78 after the first basket of the fourth
quarter, Francis sparked a 28-14 run that sealed the victory.
Mobley contributed seven points during the outburst.
Olajuwon scored 14 points in the first seven minutes as Houston
built a 21-15 lead. The Rockets built their lead to 31-19 after six
consecutive points by Francis, and led 33-23 after one quarter.
Houston went on an 8-2 run at the start of the second quarter
and led 41-25 with 9:51 remaining in the first half.
Atlanta countered with a 27-13 run. Glover scored nine points in
the outburst and Wright came off the bench to add eight as the
Hawks closed within 54-52 at the break.
Wright scored to give the Hawks a 58-56 lead with 9:12 left in
the third period. Houston responded with a 15-4 run that included
nine points by Thomas. The Rockets assumed a 71-62 lead with 5:15
left in the quarter.
Houston led 80-76 after three periods.
Game notes
Atlanta's Toni Kukoc missed Saturday's game due to a bone
spur in his right heel ... Steve Francis needs 23 assists to become
the first player in Rocket franchise history to record 500 assists
and 500 rebounds in a season ... Atlanta is just 4-23 when allowing
20 or more points off turnovers.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 102
Washington 100
Detroit 97
Charlotte 92
Phoenix 102
Cleveland 98
Utah 116
Dallas 103
Houston 110
Atlanta 97
Denver 98
Vancouver 97
San Antonio 93
LA Clippers 83
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