Francis Helps Make Clippers Go Away

HOUSTON — The Clippers continued some bad streaks Thursday night and Steve Francis had a lot to do with it.

Francis, who chose to rest instead of recording a triple-double, had a career-high 34 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 110-95 victory over the Clippers, who lost their sixth consecutive game and their seventh in a row at the Compaq Center, before a crowd of 14,270.

The Rockets ended an eight-game losing streak.

“We’ve got a game [today] and I wanted to come out after the game was decided to get some rest,” Francis said. “I’m more happy to get the win than to get a triple-double.”

Rocket Coach Rudy Tomjanovich was impressed.

“He was tremendous. He had a chance to get a triple-double and for a minute we kept him in for him to try and get it,” Tomjanovich said. “But when he didn’t get it for about a minute he told me to take him out and let someone else get in. That’s the kind of kid he is.

“He wants to do it the right way and his game speaks for itself.”

Francis was going for his second triple-double of the season; the double-double was his 15th of the season.

“He’s electrifying,” Clipper Coach Jim Todd said of Francis. “I’m sure the fans enjoyed it. It was fun to watch. I had a good seat, but I really didn’t enjoy it.”

Francis made 13 of 19 shots from the field. Cuttino Mobley came off the bench and scored 30 points and Walt Williams had 21 for the Rockets.

Lamar Odom led the Clippers with 28 points, Derek Anderson added 20, and Tyrone Nesby and Eric Piatkowski had 15 apiece.

Houston built a 62-53 lead with 5:05 left in the third period after a pair of baskets by Mobley. The Clippers cut the deficit to 65-62 after a basket by Piatkowski with 2:51 left in the quarter.

Francis scored 12 points in the final three minutes of the third quarter to spark Houston to an 81-70 lead going into the fourth period.

Houston scored nine straight points to move ahead, 92-74, with 7:21 left and the Clippers never threatened again.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first quarter, with Houston holding a 23-22 advantage going into the second period. Francis had 11 points in the first quarter.