Shaq negated; Rockets cruise for Game 3 win

Steve Francis led Houston with 27 points.
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Rockets somehow found a way to make Shaquille O'Neal a non-factor for half of the game, and a pair of late acrobatic baskets by Steve Francis clinched things after O'Neal finally got aggressive again.
The Rockets defeated the Lakers 102-91 Friday night, cutting Los Angeles' lead to 2-1 in their best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.
It was a rare Game 3 loss on the road for a team coached by Phil Jackson with a 2-0 series lead. His teams, when given a chance to take an all-but-insurmountable 3-0 lead, have historically gotten it.
In this case, however, the Lakers got away from what was working early, and by the time they went back to an O'Neal-dominated offense in the final 12 minutes it was too late.
Francis had 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Cuttino Mobley added 21 points, Yao Ming scored 18 and Maurice Taylor came off the bench to add 16 as the Rockets thrilled their fans in the first playoff game in Houston since 1999.
The series resumes with Game 4 on Sunday.
O'Neal nets 25
O'Neal scored 25 points, 11 coming in the first few minutes and 10 more coming in the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant scored 21 and Karl Malone 18.
Aside from the mysterious 24-minute disappearance of O'Neal, the biggest factor in this game was Houston's 3-point shooting.
The Rockets, who had made only five 3s in the first two games of the series, had nine of them -- including four by Francis and three by Jim Jackson. Houston also outrebounded Los Angeles, which was hurt by 10 missed free throws -- nine by O'Neal.
After Francis drove through several defenders and hit a twisting layup while being fouled for a 92-86 lead with 1:07 left, Bryant jacked up a long 3-pointer that missed. Francis then banked in a difficult off-balance shot with 40 seconds left and completed a three-point play for a 97-86 lead.
Since leading the Chicago Bulls to the 1991 NBA championship, Jackson's teams have gone 17-8 in Game 3s on the road when they have a 2-0 lead. With the Lakers, he has gone 6-3 with a 2-0 lead, eight of those Game 3s taking place on the road.
O'Neal had 11 of the Lakers' first 13 points, having his way against the single coverage of Kelvin Cato before the Rockets started double-teaming him and the Lakers stopped passing to him.