Mobley and Taylor lead Rockets to win Minnesota

Reuters, Houston, Texas

Cuttino Mobley scored 19 points and Maurice Taylor had 18 as the Houston Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-86 in NBA action on Tuesday.

Glen Rice added 15 points to the Rockets attack while Steve Francis had 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds before fouling out for the first time this season.

A 19-0 run in the second quarter put Houston ahead for good and improved the Rockets home record to 13-5.

Yao Ming added nine points and 12 rebounds to the Houston attack.

Kevin Garnett scored 25 points, had 16 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves, who trailed 42-36 at the half and by 17 points after three quarters.

Minnesota (17-16) lost its second straight but still holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Kendall Gill added 17 points for the losers.

In Milwaukee, Mike Bibby scored 20 points as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Bucks 101-76.

Chris Webber returned to the line-up after missing two games with a knee injury and scored 18 points, hauled down 13 rebounds and had six assists to help Sacramento to its third straight win and fifth in six games.

Doug Christie added 12 points for Sacramento, which improved to 26-9, tying New Jersey for the second best record in the NBA.

Ray Allen scored 16 points for Milwaukee, while Anthony Mason added 13. Sam Cassell didn't play due to a sore back.

In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 45 points as the Lakers won their second straight game, hammering the Seattle SuperSonics 119-98.

Bryant was 16-for-28 from the field and 12-for-18 from the line in a dominating performance as the Lakers crept closer to a playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.

Shaquille O'Neal had 20 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, while Derek Fisher scored 13 points and Rick Fox added 10.

Desmond Mason scored 19 points for the SuperSonics, who saw their two-game winning streak snapped.

Vladimir Redmanovic added 18 points while Gary Payton had 14 points and 12 assists.

In Portland, Shawn Marion had 24 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to an 88-81 win over the Trail Blazers.

Marion added seven rebounds as the Suns overcame a 12-point second half deficit to win for the 12th time in 15 games.

Stephon Marbury added 20 points and seven assists for Phoenix, while Joe Johnson had 17 points.

Bonzi Wells led the Blazers with 18 points, while Rasheed Wallace had 10 points and 12 rebounds as Portland's two-game winning streak was snapped.