Olajuwon Scores 46, but It’s Not Enough

Hakeem Olajuwon got well, but the Houston Rockets still are sick.

Olajuwon had sat out two games because of tendinitis in both knees, but you wouldn’t know it by Saturday, when he returned with 46 points and 19 rebounds at Houston.

He didn’t have much help in the Rockets’ 108-103 loss to Minnesota, the fourth Houston loss in a row, all at home.

Olajuwon made 16 of 23 shots and 14 of 18 free throws.

“We did a good job to hold him under 50,” Minnesota Coach Flip Saunders said. “Our plan was to try to do as much as we could to make them kick the ball out without giving up too many uncontested three-point shots because we knew we couldn’t stop him.”

Olajuwon got little help until late in the game from the rest of his injury-depleted team. The Rockets have been trying to overcome the loss of regulars Clyde Drexler, Sam Cassell and Mario Elie for weeks.

“I’m still not at 100% but I have to play with a little pain,” Olajuwon said. “At least I could jump tonight and that was a big improvement.”

Isaiah Rider scored 19 points, topping six Minnesota players in double figures. It was Minnesota’s first victory in Houston in three years, ending a seven-game losing streak at the Summit.

Spud Webb’s 17-foot jump shot with 2:35 to go in the third quarter gave the Timberwolves a 77-59 advantage, capping a 19-5 Minnesota run.

Houston rallied to within one point, but Minnesota made enough free throws to restore order.

Atlanta 92, Detroit 84--Allan Houston scored 19 of his career-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, but Steve Smith countered with nine points in the final 3:19 to preserve the Hawks’ victory at Atlanta.

Seattle 129, Philadelphia 89--Shawn Kemp and Hersey Hawkins scored 20 and 19 points at Seattle for the SuperSonics, who handed the 76ers their worst defeat of a miserable season.

Golden State 98, Phoenix 89--Latrell Sprewell scored 27 points and Donyell Marshall added 21 for the Warriors, who outscored the Suns, 33-18, in the fourth quarter to win at Oakland and move within half a game of Sacramento for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth.

NBA Notes

The Chicago Bulls signed forward-center John Salley for the rest of the season. . . . Rasheed Wallace is probably out for the season after breaking his left thumb in Washington’s loss to Orlando on Friday night.