Steve Francis had put on a show, rare and spectacular. Then Joe Crawford, often heralded as the NBA's best official, stole it.

Suspense had been building with each memorable moment until suddenly, in the second act, the curtain came crashing down, landing on Francis while Crawford delivered his line perfectly: "Get the hell out."

At the time, the game was tied. But the Utah Jazz seemed to have just won.

The Rockets took Thursday night's game to the last half-minute before Utah prevailed 83-79, its 10th consecutive victory over Houston in the Delta Center.

Cuttino Mobley, who led the Rockets back in the fourth quarter despite a four-minute scoreless stretch by the team, missed a tough 20-foot jumper that would have tied the score with 7.9 seconds left. Karl Malone, who had 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to lead the Jazz, had nailed a pair of free throws to pull Utah ahead for good with 25.6 seconds remaining.