April 6, 1983 - Rockets (13-63) at Dallas (36-40)
Mark Aguirre scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Jay Vincent added 21 points and 8 rebounds in a 120-94 Maverick mauling of the lowly Rockets. Bring on Ralph Sampson already!
December 13, 1983 - Rockets (8-14) vs Phoenix (8-14)
The Rockets trailed most of the way, but dominate the 4th quarter outscoring the Suns 39-23 for the 126-114 victory. Lew Lloyd led all scorers with 27 while James Edwards led the Suns with 25.
March 26, 1985 - Rockets (40-29) vs KC Kings (29-43)
The first game of the Hakeem Olajuwon era was a thrilling one. With 25 lead changes, 13 ties, and no team ever leading by more than 6, this one came down to the wire. Lew Lloyd threaded a needle and found John Lucas for an open shot that gave the Rockets a 113-111 lead with 7 seconds left. Larry Drew's potential tying shot with one second left was blocked by Rodney McCray. Ralph Sampson led the Rockets with 28 while Eddie Johnson led all scorers with 31.
February 6, 1986 - Rockets (33-15) vs Lakers (36-11)
This was an exciting game. James Worthy scored off a nice pass from Byron Scott to give the Lakers a 114-113 lead with 26 seconds left. Hakeem Olajuwon answered with a bucket to give the Rockets a 115-114 lead. Magic Johnson then found Michael Cooper open and Cooper drained the shot with just 2.5 seconds left. The Lakers win 116-115. Worthy led the Lakers with 26. Despite first half foul troubles, Olajuwon led the Rockets with 26.
January 29, 1987 Rockets (22-20) vs Milwaukee (27-18)
Despite early foul trouble for Ralph Sampson and late foul trouble for Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets win 117-116. The real surprise here was Allen Leavell scoring 19. He also dished out 5 assists. Olajuwon led the Rockets with 25 points. Terry Cummings led the Bucks with 28, but Jack Sikma had the best overall performance for either team with 24 points and 19 rebounds.
March 15, 1988 Rockets (36-24) vs. LA Clippers (11-47)
The ides of March did not bode well for the lowly Clippers. The Rockets out shot them 50.5% to 34.5% and out rebounded them 69-28 for a 118-69 win The Rockets had more offensive rebounds than the Clippers had defensive rebounds. Joe Barry Carroll led the Rockets with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Hakeem Olajuwon hardly broke a sweat as he played only 16 minutes in the rout.
November 15, 1988 Rockets (4-2) vs New York Knicks (4-2)
The Rockets trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, but dominated the second half for 114-107 win. They out-rebounded the Knicks 59-40 and shot 38 free throws to the Knicks 20. After a slow start, Olajuwon led the Rockets with 27 points and 18 rebounds while Otis Thorpe added 20 points and 8 rebounds. Patrick Ewing got in early foul trouble and scored only 13 for the Knicks. Gerald Wilkins led the Knicks with 22 points and Johnny Newman added 20.
February 3, 1990 Rockets (21-23) at Phoenix Suns (26-16)
The Suns put on a first half passing clinic that led to a lot of easy baskets and a 71-45 half time lead. The Suns shot 65% from the floor in the half while the Rockets shot a lame 41%.
Tom Chambers led the Suns with 30 points and Jeff Hornacek added 18. As usual, the Rockets were led by Olajuwon with 27 points and 18 rebounds. Chambers also had 6 assists, but Kurt Rambis actually led the Suns in assists with 8. Kevin Johnson had 5 assists, but he didn't play that much in the second half. The Suns didn't really need him as they post a 120-97 win.
Rockets record for series: 8-7
Next game: March 19, 1991 vs Timberwolves (21-42). Rockets enter game with a 40-24 record.
