But as the Rockets huddled, Francis wasn't seeing things. He had proof -- an anemic 17.5 percent shooting slump through a quarter and a half that threatened to turn a 24-hour flu into full-blown epidemic.

"I thought it was fake," Francis said after a late Rockets rally fell short in a 90-88 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night night at Compaq Center. "When you're not making shots -- and for us it's been a couple of weeks of not making shots or scoring a lot of points -- it begins to get tough for all of us."

After shooting a franchise record-low 29.9 percent in a loss Thursday to Sacramento, the Rockets came out cold Saturday. But despite their shooting problems for most of the game, they had a chance to win down the stretch.