Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis scored 18 points apiece and each made big 3-pointers down the stretch as the Houston Rockets rallied for an 89-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Francis made four free throws in the final 16 seconds for the Rockets, who used a late 12-0 spurt to make up a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Maurice Taylor added 14 points as Houston snapped a three-game losing streak.

Cavs rookie LeBron James won the matchup of the NBA's last two No. 1 overall draft picks, outscoring Yao Ming 17-12. Cleveland has lost 12 of 14.

The Cavs were playing 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.

James' jumper just before the shot clock expired gave Cleveland a 78-71 lead with 5:21 left, and the Cavs appeared to be in control.

But Francis hit a long 3, Taylor dropped in a jumper, and Mobley drained another 3 from the right corner as the Rockets took a 79-78 lead with four minutes to go.

Francis then made another jumper over James, and after a Cleveland turnover, the Rockets do-it-all guard drove for a layup to make it 83-78 with 2:58 left.

Down by three, the Cavs twice missed the back end of 1-and-1 free throw chances, and Taylor's 16-footer put Houston ahead 85-81 with 23.6 seconds to play.

After Francis made two free throws with 16 seconds remaining, James banked in a 3-pointer, but Francis hit two more foul shots in the closing seconds to seal it.

The Cavs were fortunate to be within one point at the half after missing 16 straight shots in the first quarter and scoring just 13 points in the first 12 minutes.

It was the ex-Celtics who helped bring Cleveland back as Battie (10), Williams (8) and Brown (3) combined for 21 first-half points to help the Cavs close within 38-37 at the break.

Notes:@ Yao Ming finished with six rebounds after getting a career-low two on Tuesday in a loss at Minnesota. ... The Cavs, whose 34-game road losing streak is tied for the second longest in NBA history, are at Philadelphia on Friday. ... Cavs C DeSagana Diop is running in a pool as he continues to recover from surgery on his right knee. Diop is expected to return by mid-January. ... Despite his clashes with traded guard Ricky Davis, Cavs coach Silas said he wished him well and expects him to be successful in Boston. "He's going to on his best behavior," Silas said. ... Davis' departure appears to signal the end of "Ricky's Renegades", the bare-chested fan club for which he bought season tickets. The group stayed fully dressed and abandoned their usual seats for ones higher in the arena. They also had a sign: "Renegades 4 Sale."

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