clarinews@clarinet.com (01/12/90)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (UPI) -- Akeem Olajuwon scored 10 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Houston Rockets rallied from a 16-point defict late in the third quarter Thursday night to defeat the Sacramento Kings 90-87 and end a 10-game road losing streak. Otis Thorpe added 18 points and Mitchell Wiggins, activated earlier in the day, contributed 9 of his 15 points in the final 5 1-2 minutes of fourth quarter for Houston. The Rockets improved to 4-15 on the road and 16-18 overall. Wiggins, who replaced 7-5 journeyman center Chuck Nevitt on the Houston roster, had missed the last 17 games because of a sprained knee sustained Dec. 5 against the Seattle SuperSonics. Kenny Smith scored a team-high 23 points, including a futile 3-pointer at the buzzer, for Sacramento, which didn't score a field goal during a 7:50 span during in the fourth quarter. The Kings, who dropped to 7-12 at home and 8-24 overall, led 71-55 on two Wayman Tisdale free throws with 2:16 left in the third quarter. But Sacramento produced only four field goals and six free throws in the final period. Tisdale scored 20 points, Rodney McCray added 16 points and Greg Kite tied his career high with 13 rebounds for Sacramento. The Kings opened the third quarter with an 14-4 run, including Danny Ainge's 3-pointer, to increase its lead to 60-47 with 7:26 left in the period. Rugged inside play dominated the rest of the third quarter and continued into the fourth quarter. But the Kings continued to propser, making 10 of 17 shots in the third period. Houston steadily rallied , however, with John Lucas' 19-foot jumper narrowing the Rockets' deficit to 72-63 entering the fourth quarter. Two Smith free throws with 9:52 left in the second quarter pushed the Kings to a 30-24 lead - Sacramento's biggest margin of the first half. Houston, which shot only 37 percent in the second quarter, regained the lead 36-25 on Thorpe's layup 2 1/2 minutes later. Tisdale, however, hit three mid-range hook shots and a jumper in the final 4:33 of the first half a Sacramento led 45-43 at intermission. The Rockets took a 10-4 lead on Olajuwon's layup with 7:46 left in the first quarter. But the Kings quickly responded. Smith scored the Kings first six points and made six of his eight shots in the opening period. Smith's 13-foot jumper gave Sacramento a 20-18 advantage with 2:48 left in the the first quarter. He finished the opening period with 13 points as Sacramento held a 24-22 margin.