Pippen, Houston Soars By Denver

February 9, 1999 / 12:43 AM EST / CBS/AP

Scottie Pippen isn't taking long to get accustomed to his new surroundings.

With a sellout crowd cheering his every move, Pippen had 24 points and 13 rebounds in his home debut Monday night, leading the Houston Rockets to a 99-80 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

"I was shooting the ball well from outside," Pippen said. "That opened up a lot of other things. But this is just one game. I'm still trying to find the open spots and fit in."

Pippen fit in nicely with Houston's other superstars.

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Houston's threesome of Charles Barkley, Pippen and Hakeem Olajuwon shot a collective 74 percent from the field in a take-charge first half that ended with Houston ahead by 22.

The Nuggets couldn't keep up.

"When we get our transition game going, it really opens things up," Pippen said. "We got a lot of second shots and we were really aggressive on the boards. If we get out and run, it will create some easy baskets for us."

Barkley continued his fast start with 15 points and 19 rebounds, and his 12 second-quarter points led a 21-4 charge that put the Rockets in control.

Barkley's spurt helped the Rockets to a 53-31 halftime lead, and Pippen had eight points over the first eight minutes of the third quarter.

Olajuwon had 14 points and 13 rebounds, giving the Rockets three double-double performances.

"They're (Nuggets) a good bunch of guys, they're going to try," Denver coach Mike D'Antoni said. "But the guys have to learn it's a 48-minute game and they have to learn how to start games. We've got to get off to better starts offenively."

Antonio McDyess had 14 points and 14 rebounds and Corey Alexander came off the bench for 14 points, but Denver could not overcome its slow start.

"They're (Rockets) a lot better defensively with Pippen," McDyess said. "Pippen talked to them and really got them going. He seems like he's their leader out there."

The Rockets built a 20-7 first quarter lead against a cold-shooting Denver team that shot only 18 percent from the field over the first 10 minutes.

The Nuggets noticed Pippen's presense immediately.

"He definitely raises their chances of winning the Western Conference," Bryant Stith said. "He's probably the best all-around player in the game, and he complements Olajuwon's and Barkley's games. He adds some versatility to their team."

The Nuggets cut Houston's lead to 30-27 early in the second quarter before Barkley took over.

"That's the way you're supposed to play basketball," Barkley said. "It was a great win. All the other guys who hadn't played much got to play. It was a fun game, fun for the fans and for the players. Things are going real well for us now."

Despite Barkley's optimism, he'll undergo an MRI on Tuesday on his left knee because of swelling.

"Hopefully it won't be bad," Barkley said. "I don't think it's going to be serious but it's been building for about a week. "

"It's very frustrating because my realistic goal as to play in every game, but with this fluid building up I might struggle in back-to-back games."

The Rockets host Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Notes

The Rockets were one of the teams that McDyess considered before signing with the Nuggets. He was booed in Sunday night's game in Phoenix, a team he spurned to join Denver ... Rockets assistant coach Jim Boylen survived a scary moment at Monday's shootaround when a metal bracket fell from the Compaq Center ceiling and struck him in the head. Boylen was attended to by team trainer Keith Jones and was on the sidelines for the game ... Rockets starting guard Matt Maloney left the court with 10:32 left with a slight separation of his right shoulder. He is day-to-day.