The Houston Rockets, who will be without...

The Houston Rockets, who will be without Hakeem Olajuwon for about two months, re-signed 40-year-old Charles Jones as a backup at center for Kevin Willis. Jones is the NBA’s oldest player and the oldest ever to play for the Rockets, who are expected to get Charles Barkley back from a groin injury Friday.

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Jerome Kersey will be lost from 6-8 weeks to the Seattle SuperSonics because of a stress fracture in his left foot.

Kersey, a reserve forward, averaged 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds for the SuperSonics in 12 games this season.

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Tom Hammonds, who was the ninth overall pick in 1989 but was out of a job at the start of this season, signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Hammonds, a 6-foot-9 forward, spent the last four seasons with the Denver Nuggets, who waived him Sept. 5.

Washington used the ninth pick in the ’89 draft to take Hammonds from Georgia Tech. He played three seasons there before Washington traded him to Charlotte for Rex Chapman.

To make room for Hammonds, the Timberwolves released forward Clifford Rozier.

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The Charlotte Hornets’ nearly nine-year run of home sellouts ended Tuesday night when they drew 22,617 for a game against the Detroit Pistons.

Charlotte, which went into the game looking to build on the best start in franchise history, had sold out 364 consecutive games at the 24,042-seat facility, a run that began Dec. 23, 1988.

The Hornets’ home sellout streak was the second-longest in the NBA. The Bulls have sold out 465 consecutive home games.