The game ended with Rockets' point guard Mike James on the floor while the sellout crowd at Toyota Center chanted loudly for Steve Francis to make his first appearance of the regular season.

James, who turned in his third strong performance off the bench in as many games in the Rockets' 89-80 win over Portland on Saturday, heard the roars of "We want Steve."

"The fans love him here," James said of Francis. "Steve is a great talent and still has a lot of basketball in him. It's tough what he's going through right now. They say if it doesn't kill you, it's only going to make you stronger.

"It's coach Adelman's decision. No one else has control over it. They say if it's not broke, don't fix it. We're winning, but we're not even using all of our weapons still. He's definitely a big weapon for us."