NBA PLAYOFFS : Rockets Go to the Limit Against Suns

The Houston Rockets still weren’t ready to give up. Hakeem Olajuwon wouldn’t let them.

Olajuwon scored 30 points and Houston’s sharpshooters scored 15 consecutive fourth-quarter points on three-point shots as the Rockets, trying to become the fifth team to recover from a 3-1 deficit, defeated Phoenix, 116-103, Thursday night.

That tied the Western Conference semifinal at 3-3, with Game 7 Saturday at Phoenix. The Rockets extended their record to 9-1 when facing elimination from a playoff series.

“It’s hard to find words to describe what warriors, what fighters, what big-time players; they’ve done it again,” Rocket Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “We’ve given ourselves a chance to win this thing.

“It’s one game for all the marbles. We’ve gained their respect. We’ve had a great road record this year. I feel we’ve got a good chance.”

Trailing, 84-83, with 35 seconds to go in the third quarter, the Rockets went on an 18-5 charge that carried over into the fourth quarter and gave them a 101-89 lead with 5:32 left.

Olajuwon, who had nine points in the fourth quarter, then turned the game over to the Rockets’ three-point shooters and they made four in a row, starting with Mario Elie, who had two in the burst that kept alive the Rockets’ hopes of retaining their NBA title.

“We get sick and tired of hearing how much heart they have,” Charles Barkley said. “They don’t have any more heart than we do. We will be ready Saturday.”

Barkley, with sub-par performances in Games 3 and 5, made his first 10 shots and finished the half with 27 points as the Suns led, 58-55. But Barkley took only two shots in the fourth quarter and finished with 34 points.