NBA Playoff Roundup : Rockets Knock Off Portland; Dallas Eliminated

The Houston Rockets, written off by many in this year’s playoffs because of numerous injuries and internal problems, displayed the form Thursday night that carried them to the NBA finals last season and eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers from the playoffs.

Akeem Olajuwon scored 27 points, Robert Reid added 22 and Ralph Sampson had 18 and 10 rebounds to lead the Rockets to a 113-101 victory at the Summit, where the Trail Blazers have lost eight straight. The win gave Houston the best-of-five opening-round series, 3-1.

The Rockets earned the right to face Seattle, a 3-1 series winner over favored Dallas, in a best-of-seven series that gets under way at Houston Saturday afternoon.

Kiki Vandeweghe paced Portland with 27 points, while Terry Porter contributed 23 and Steve Johnson 16. Clyde Drexler, who picked up his fifth foul in the third period, was held to 13 after averaging 21.7 points a game during the regular season.

“For a time there, Akeem was going for every rebound,” Houston Coach Bill Fitch said. “Ralph went out to the top on offense and that opened it up for Akeem underneath. He finally got to play that point guard postion he wanted to play.”

Olajuwon scored on a pair of slams dunks and Cedric Maxwell sank four free throws to spark a 12-0 run that gave Houston its biggest lead of the game to that point, 89-68, entering the final period.

With Drexler on the bench, the Trail Blazers’ offense collapsed. They were held to one basket over a 6:43 span--when Drexler left in the third until 9:10 to play. By then, Houston had opened a 26-point lead.

Seattle 124, Dallas 98--Tom Chambers scored 31 points and Xavier McDaniel added 29, leading the SuperSonics over Dallas at Seattle.

Former Maverick reserve Dale Ellis, a star for the Sonics in victories in Games 2 and 3, added 21 in the game played before 8,150 fans at University of Washington’s Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

The Mavericks, who were considered championship contenders going into the playoffs, had to go without their starting center, 7-foot-2 James Donaldson, out because of an extremely sore right leg. Rookie Roy Tarpley took Donaldson’s place in the Mavericks’ starting lineup and had 17 rebounds.

Seattle had to use backup center Clemon Johnson in place of injured starting center Alton Lister in the series.

The Sonics led, 88-77, after three quarters as Tarpley picked up three personal fouls in the third quarter. He got his fifth foul of the game with 1:24 to go in the period.

Rolando Blackman scored 25 points and Sam Perkins had 24 for Dallas. Mark Aguirre of the Mavericks, who has had strep throat, was held to 13 points and did not score in the second half.