NBA PLAYOFFS : Pierce Lifts SuperSonics Past Rockets
Ricky Pierce scored 19 of his 23 points during the second half, and the Seattle SuperSonics held the Houston Rockets scoreless for the final 3:40 en route to a 99-90 victory in the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals Monday night.
Eddie Johnson came off the bench to add 20 points for the SuperSonics, whose bench outscored Houston’s, 29-12. Hakeem Olajuwon scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had five blocks for Houston.
But Olajuwon, defended by Michael Cage and Sam Perkins, made only eight of his 22 shots.
The Rockets made only four of 16 shots during the fourth quarter but still made a run at the SuperSonics after they took a 91-77 lead with 7:07 to play.
The SuperSonics’ Shawn Kemp scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds, and Perkins added 11 points and nine rebounds.
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