Olajuwon, Rockets Ejected In Utah

April 26, 1998 / 2:38 AM EDT / CBS/AP

It started as a series for the aged. Now, it's looking more like a series for the angered.

The Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets played another barn-burner on Saturday night, with bodies and insults flying all over the court. Utah won 105-90 to even the first-round series at one game apiece, but both teams know the real series is just starting.

"All we really accomplished tonight was stopping the bleeding," said John Stockton, who had 17 points and 10 assists. "We're not going to win this thing easily."

The series will resume in Houston on Wednesday, with the Jazz trying to avoid becoming just the second top seed in NBA history to lose a first-round playoff series.

"We did some good things, but we let the crowd and the fouls get in our heads," Kevin Willis said. "We're looking forward to getting these guys on our court."

The Rockets wouldn't go quietly, as proven by their four technical fouls, two disqualifications and one ejection. Houston looked to be on the verge of a fourth-quarter comeback, too, until Hakeem Olajuwon, who led the Rockets with 16 points, was ejected with 5:19 remaining.

The Rockets mounted a 15-7 fourth-quarter run and pulled to 89-75 when Olajuwon was ejected for arguing with referee Ronnie Nunn. The resulting foul shots and a flagrant foul by Charles Barkley against Stockton on Utah's next possession ended Houston's comeback.

"We made too many mistakes in the game, and when that happens, sometimes your temper gets the best of you," Olajuwon said. "We'll do better at home."

Barkley, who was fined $10,000 by the NBA for cursing a fan during Game 1, was jeered mercilessly by the Salt Lake crowd throughout the evening.

"I don't care about all that," Barkley laughed. "They curse me, I curse them back. It gets me going."

The Jazz looked like a completely different team than the one that sleepwalked to a 103-90 loss in the first game of the series. Utah scored 22 fast-break points, and swingmen Bryon Russell and Shandon Anderson thwarted Houston's defensive scheme by hitting outside jumpers.

"I think everybody enjoys playing these guys win or lose," Stockton said. "We bring out the best in each other, and these games are a lot of fun."

Karl Malone scored 11 of his 29 points in the third quarter as the Jazz outscored Houston 32-18 and took a 79-60 lead into the fourth. The Rockets had just five field goals in the third and committed seven turnovers.

Jeff Hornacek had 14 points and five assists, while Anderson had 10 points. Greg Ostertag led Utah with 11 rebounds.

Tempers ran high throughout the game, and the confrontations were almost too numerous to count. In the first seven minutes, Clyde Drexler and Houston coach Rudy Tomanovich earned technical fouls and the two teams scuffled under the basket twice.

With 7:50 left in the third quarter, Jeff Hornacek and Drexler got tangled up on the perimeter. Hornacek twice shoved Drexler in the back after the whistle and nearly knocked him down, but only received a personal foul.

After Olajuwon's ejection, Barkley shoved Stockton to the floor on Utah's next possession. Stockton challenged Barkley, who walked away.

"I look at that like being pushed by my brother. You just shrug it off," Stockton said. "Things happen, and Charles is still a friend."

Olajuwon had 16 points and five rebounds at the time of his ejection, and he finished as Houston's leading scorer. Barkley fouled out with just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting.

Clyde Drexler added 14 points, while Kevin Willis had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Jazz, who finished the regular season as the best free-throw shooting team in the NBA, struggled from the line for the second straight game. Utah shot just 20-of-32 and is shooting below 65 percent in the two games of the series.

The Rockets' defensive strategy allowing Utah's perimeter shooters to take open shots while doubling Malone backfired when Anderson hit four of six first-half shots.

Meantime, the Jazz couldn't stop Olajuwon and Willis in the low post for the second straight game. The two combined for 16 points and 11 rebounds in the first half.

Houston made an 18-7 run and cut Utah's second-quarter lead to 40-39 on Mario Elie's 3-pointer with 2:53 left in the half. The Jazz committed 10 fouls in the second period before the Rockets were called for their first.

Malone made just two of his first nine field goal attempts, but finished the first half with nine points to tie Hornacek and Anderson for the team lead. Houston got nine points from Drexler, while Willis had eight points and seven rebounds.

Notes: Utah's pregame show featured its customary fireworks and deafening noise, and the Jazz mascot played a piano that shot fire and exploded during the second half. The Jazz promotions department has reportedly been warned by the league to tone down its elaborate and often smoky pyrotechnics. ... Jazz backup point guard Howard Eisley continued to struggle, going 2-for-8 from the field. Eisley is 3-for-14 in the first two games. ... Price fouled out for the second time in four games at the Delta Center this season.