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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) -- Hakeem Olajuwon has the retro look and the
Houston Rockets couldn't be happier.
|  | | Richard Hamilton discovered that Hakeem Olajuwon's game is coming back to its old form. |
Olajuwon had his fourth straight big game to help lead the
Rockets to a 99-89 victory over the Washington Wizards Tuesday. Not
coincidentally, Houston won its fourth in a row.
"He's just playing very good basketball right now," coach Rudy
Tomjanovich said. "His quickness and his hands were unbelievable
out there a few times tonight. And it's hard to get 20 rebounds, I
don't care how old or young you are."
The 38-year-old Olajuwon, in his 17th pro season, had 20
rebounds, 15 points, four steals and three blocks. It was
Olajuwon's highest rebound total since he had 20 on Feb. 16, 1998,
against the Clippers.
"I don't like comparing myself then and now," Olajuwon said.
"I just like to see what I can do now. I think I still have room
for improvement."
Olajuwon has averaged 17 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and
2.7 steals the last four games, and his teammates have noticed the
difference between now and earlier in the season.
"He took like seven of my rebounds tonight," said Steve
Francis, who had 29 points. "That's the type of player he is. He
didn't score a lot of points but he does the little things like
block shots and intimidate the other team and help us get out on
our breaks.
"The difference in him now is that he was injured earlier in
the season. He watched from the bench the way we played and now
he's found his niche."
Shandon Anderson agreed.
"He gives us an inside threat," Anderson said. "He's scoring
a lot of different ways and he's making guys change their shots.
And he's moving more on defense. His all-around game has definitely
picked up."
The Wizards didn't count on seeing a revitalized Olajuwon.
"Hakeem is a great veteran player and he did a good job of
getting himself into position to get those rebounds," said Richard
Hamilton, who led the Wizards with 24 points. "This is my first
time to play against (Olajuwon) and I didn't really know what to
expect. I didn't expect him to get 20 rebounds, but he's just that
kind of player."
Coach Leonard Hamilton was amazed by Olajuwon's rebounding.
"He just always seems to know where the ball's going off the
glass," the coach said. "He was just in the right place tonight.
For his age, he still has some good legs."
Anderson added 17 points and Cuttino Mobley and Maurice Taylor
each had 16.
Juwan Howard added 15 points, Mitch Richmond 12 and Tyrone Nesby
and Popeye Jones 10 each as the Wizards lost their fourth straight.
Hamilton scored eight in the first quarter as the Wizards went
ahead by as many as five. But Mobley's 69-foot heave at the buzzer
pulled the Rockets to 27-25.
Washington went up 38-31 early in the second, but an 11-1 run at
the end of the quarter gave Houston a 54-47 halftime lead as
Francis had 18 points and Olajuwon had six points, four steals and
10 rebounds. The Wizards failed to score a field goal the final
3:45 of the second quarter.
The Rockets outscored Washington 10-0 early in the third to open
up a 64-51 lead with 7:25 left in the quarter. The lead crested at
15 before the Rockets settled for a 78-65 lead at the end of three.
With the help of six points by Jones, Washington outscored
Houston 10-4 in the first 3:44 of the fourth to close the margin to
82-75.
But two straight 3s by Francis pushed it back to 88-75, and the
Wizards never got closer than seven after that.
Game notes
Houston is 15-3 vs. Eastern Conference teams this year ...
Houston won its seventh straight over Washington at the Compaq
Center ... The Wizards are 5-5 in games Michael Smith has started
this season. ... Wizards center Calvin Booth was sent home early
Tuesday after being diagnosed with "shooter's elbow" by doctors
in Houston, according to the team. ... Point guard Rod Strickland,
who has rarely played over the last six weeks, is also skipping the
four-game road trip. He told the team Monday that his hamstrings
were too sore for him to play.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 77
Indiana 66
Toronto 120
Cleveland 105
Miami 101
LA Clippers 99
LA Lakers 113
New Jersey 110
Philadelphia 107
Milwaukee 104
Sacramento 97
Utah 94
Chicago 96
Atlanta 92
Houston 99
Washington 89
San Antonio 104
Dallas 92
Denver 96
New York 77
Portland 109
Minnesota 88
Vancouver 99
Boston 98
Phoenix 93
Golden State 83
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site
Juwan Howard Official Site
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