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Friday, March 9, 2001
Injury hits just as Olajuwon heats up



HOUSTON – Hakeem Olajuwon, who has played a key role in the Rockets' surge to playoff contention, will miss the next two games because of a strained right calf.

Olajuwon
Olajuwon

He will miss Saturday's game against Golden State and Sunday's showdown against Phoenix. The star center sat out Thursday night's 99-87 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Rockets trail the Suns by three games in the race for the final Western Conference playoff berth. The teams have split their two meetings this season.

"It's very unfortunate," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "His timing and his conditioning have been excellent. He's been sharp and performing very well. We have to deal with it this week."

Olajuwon, in the final year of his contract, played 10 scoreless minutes on Wednesday against Atlanta, but in his previous 13 games he averaged 16 points and 10.6 rebounds.

"He's been playing so great," Maurice Taylor said. "He was the anchor of the team since the All-Star break. We've been relying on him down the stretch. It's a huge blow."

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