Rockets blast off on Cavs
Houston's late 12-0 run erases a 78-71 lead for Cleveland
CLEVELAND - Steve Francis was already sick and tired. He didn't even want to think abut how he would have felt if the Houston Rockets had lost again.
Francis and Cuttino Mobley scored 18 points apiece and each made big 3-pointers down the stretch as Houston rallied for an 89-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Francis, fighting a cold the past few days, scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and the Rockets used a late 12-0 spurt to end a three-game losing streak.
"We've all felt every loss we've had in the last three games," said Francis, who added nine assists in 45 minutes. "We showed more spirit and will as far as guys not wanting to lose."
Maurice Taylor added 14 points, and Yao Ming 12 for the Rockets, who trailed 78-71 before going on their 12-0 run.
"When it was 78-71, we were just thinking positive," Mobley said. "Think positive, that's all we had to do. And play hard."
Cavs rookie LeBron James won the matchup of the NBA's last two No. 1 overall draft picks, outscoring Yao, but couldn't prevent Cleveland from losing for the 12th time in 14 games. Carlos Boozer of Juneau started for the Cavs, but only scored five points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out three assists.
The Cavs played for the first time since their six-player trade with Boston, and they got a huge lift from new arrivals Tony Battie, Eric Williams and Kedrick Brown, who combined for 36 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
Cleveland's new guys haven't been able to practice with the team yet, and were force fed three plays during Wednesday morning's shootaround.
"They played real well," Cavs coach Paul Silas said. "They played hard and defended. We were in a big hole when they came in and they brought us back. They're going to help us win a lot of ballgames."