HOUSTON - Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley gave the depleted Rockets a huge lift.
Francis scored 31, Mobley added 21 and Houston sent Orlando to its sixth straight loss with a 96-86 victory Saturday night.
The Rockets were without forward Maurice Taylor, who sat out the first of a 10-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Forward Eddie Griffin is suspended indefinitely for missing practices and a team flight.
"We were getting the ball in the open," Francis said. "Coach was calling our number a lot. We were able to get good looks and knock them down."
Mobley helped extend Tracy McGrady's offensive slump. The defending scoring champion had 14 points on 5-for-21 shooting.
McGrady managed only four points on 2-for-10 shooting in Friday night's 100-71 loss to the Timberwolves, his lowest total in a Magic uniform and the first time in 116 games he didn't reach double figures.
"It started with our defense on McGrady," Francis said. "They scored 51 points in the first half. That was one of the big issues (at halftime). We did a good job shutting them down the second half.
"Cuttino did a good job having a hand in his face every single time."
Orlando coach Doc Rivers credited the Rockets guards.
"I feel between the two of them, they really hurt us, with their penetration and shooting," Rivers said. "A lot of that came from Yao (Ming) with his passing."
Juwan Howard led Orlando with 22 points, and Tyronn Lue added 18.
MAVERICKS 81, SPURS 78: Antawn Jamison scored 20, capped by a putback with 4.9 seconds left that led Dallas over host San Antonio. With the Mavs leading 79-78, Michael Finley stole the ball from the Spurs' Malik Rose and rebounded an errant 3-pointer by Antoine Walker with 29 seconds left. Steve Nash missed on his drive to the basket, but Jamison was there. On San Antonio's final chance, Robert Horry was long on a 3-point attempt. ... Spurs guard Ron Mercer (left ankle injury) was placed on the injured list, and guard Devin Brown was activated. Brown has been on the injured list with left knee tendinitis.
TIMBERWOLVES 88, HEAT 79: Kevin Garnett had 25 points and 17 rebounds to lead visiting Minnesota. Eddie Jones had 21 for Miami, 0-6 for the first time since its inaugural season in 1988-89, when it opened with 17 consecutive losses. The Heat's Caron Butler returned after missing the preseason and first five games following left knee surgery. He scored nine in 31 minutes.
BUCKS 90, KNICKS 87: T.J. Ford hit two free throws with 7.7 seconds left, and Tim Thomas scored 12 of his 23 in the fourth to lead host Milwaukee past New York for the second time in four days. Charlie Ward missed two 3-point attempts in the final 16 seconds, the second coming at the buzzer.
BULLS 109, HORNETS 106: Jalen Rose came off the bench for the first time in more than four years and scored 34 to lead visiting Chicago. Rose, who had started 323 straight games, shot 10-of-15 and made four 3-pointers. New Orleans' Baron Davis scored 35 but had a game-tying 16-foot attempt blocked by Jamal Crawford in the final minute, then missed a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left. The Hornets had one more chance, but David Wesley's shot in a crowd was well off the mark.
CAVALIERS 111, WIZARDS 98: Darius Miles and Ricky Davis each scored 26 to lead host Cleveland, giving LeBron James his first pro win. Davis had 23 in the second half, and the Cavaliers used a 13-2 run midway through the fourth quarter to separate themselves from Washington. James had 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. The Cavaliers activated forward Ira Newble, who missed the first five games with knee tendinitis.
JAZZ 96, GRIZZLIES 89: Raul Lopez scored 10 of his 12 during a key run, and Utah stayed undefeated at home. The Jazz trailed 70-65 late in the third when Lopez came in. The 6-foot guard sparked Utah to nine straight points, hitting a layup and passing to Raja Bell for a 3-pointer before the end of the quarter. Early in the fourth, Lopez scored eight straight as the Jazz increased its lead to 88-79 with 5:49 to play. ... Utah forward Keon Clark will have right ankle surgery within five days and is expected to miss at least six weeks.
BLAZERS 90 HAWKS 83: Zach Randolph had 29 points and nine rebounds and reserve Jeff McInnis scored 21 to lead host Portland. The Blazers led by as many as 11 in the first half but struggled through the second. The Hawks pulled to within 86-83 on Steven Jackson's 3-pointer with 1:25 left, but Portland hung on. ... The Blazers activated rookie forward Travis Outlaw, who had been on the injured list with tendinitis in both knees.
