I have a headache tonight.

Although those five dreaded words can be deflating to hear at any time, they are carrying added significance lately with the Houston Rockets -- and anyone they are playing.

When the Orlando Magic resume play tonight in Houston, their chances of winning could increase greatly if those words are uttered again.

Steve Francis, Houston's explosive star, has been battling painful and overwhelming migraines, becoming an unsettling uncertainty for the Rockets this season.

Despite starting for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game last weekend, the recurring migraines have flared up again. He missed Tuesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies and practices Wednesday and Thursday. He attended practice Friday, but he only worked out lightly, leaving him questionable for tonight.

"They are a different team when he plays from when he doesn't play," Magic star Tracy McGrady said. "He makes them very dangerous."

Although the Rockets (17-33) have struggled, they aren't as bad as their record suggests -- if he plays. Francis has missed 21 games, and the Rockets have lost 19 of those.

With him, they have at least been respectable. When Francis is healthy, he and Cuttino Mobley form one of the most dangerous backcourts in the league.

They were 7-6 to start the season when he first went out because of an injured foot, throwing everything out of whack.

As much as any player in the league, as much as Shaquille O'Neal in Los Angeles, Kevin Garnett in Minnesota or Jason Kidd in New Jersey, Francis carries his team on his back, which is quite a task for a 6-foot-3 point guard.

He is the NBA's only player to be leading his team in scoring (22.6 points per game), rebounding (7.7 per game) and assists (6.6 per game), becoming a triple-double threat in any game he plays. He was the only starter in the NBA All-Star Game who came from a team with a losing record, another testament to his impact on a game.

He has improved both his scoring and rebounding in each of his three NBA seasons. On a good night for Francis -- the co-rookie of the year after the 1999-2000 season -- the Rockets can beat anyone. They have beaten the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. With Francis out, or even playing with a headache, they can lose to anyone. They've lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers twice and to the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls.

Francis and Mobley form one of two starting NBA backcourts with a couple of 20-point scorers. Milwaukee, with Sam Cassell and Ray Allen, is the only team that can match them.

After losing Maurice Taylor and Glen Rice for the season, the Rockets have relied almost exclusively on Francis and Mobley to facilitate their offense, making them a predictable, perimeter team.

"With them, you know what's coming. There are no tricks. They tell you exactly what they want to do, then they try to beat you with it," Magic Coach Doc Rivers said. "But we need to play someone like this now like I need a hole in my head. It'll be tough for us."

Magic point guards Darrell Armstrong and Troy Hudson could be overwhelmed trying to slow down Francis. McGrady likely will be on Mobley. Whether they can contain the two will be the key to a possible victory.

The Magic will go into the game struggling on defense, allowing both the New York Knicks and Miami Heat to do as they pleased on the offensive end.

"Our defense is going to come around again," Armstrong said. "We lost something there over the [all-star] break, but it'll come back. And maybe this is the game it comes back."