Rockets’ Twin Towers Stand Too Tall for Lakers, 116-113

Some people who wondered if Ralph Sampson and Akeem Olajuwon could play together and, since it was his idea, whether Houston Rocket Coach Bill Fitch’s elevator went all the way to the top of the Twin Towers.

“You’d have to say the experiment is a success,� said Laker Coach Pat Riley, whose team was out-bigged, 2-1, and outscored, 116-113, by the Rockets Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 17,505 at the Forum.

The 7-0 Olajuwon and 7-4 Sampson combined to score 46 points, take down 19 rebounds and block four shots which offset 34 points, nine rebounds and two blocks by 7-2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The Lakers, who also got a season-high 33 points from Magic Johnson, were one short in the high-rise department. Even so, the Lakers still had a chance after falling behind by 10 points in the fourth quarter.

As much as Rockets’ duo proved themselves to be valuable commercial real estate, the Lakers might have been able to pull this one out if they had handled a couple of smaller units named Lionel Hollins and Mitchell Wiggins.

Wiggins scored 10 points and Hollins eight in the final period when the Lakers closed fast, cutting a 112-106 Rocket lead to 112-110 with 59 seconds remaining.

The Lakers got the ball and called time out with 21 seconds left, 17 seconds on the shot clock. Abdul-Jabbar broke loose briefly in the lane, but he forced a jump shot and missed while pressured by Sampson and Wiggins.

Olajuwon rebounded and began a fast break that ended with a tip by Wiggins that could not be overcome by Johnson’s three-pointer with five seconds.

Riley angrily maintained that Abdul-Jabbar was fouled twice on the play, yet officials Mike Mathis and Bill Oakes did not agree.

“He got butchered, period,� Riley said. “You have to show some guts to make a call at the end of the game. Everyone is going to say it’s sour grapes, but there is no question that Kareem was fouled.�

Abdul-Jabbar thought so, too, and expressed surprise that no foul was called.

“I had a couple of guys hanging on my wrist when I shot,� he said.

The Rockets also had players hanging all over the rim, usually Sampson and Olajuwon, who have given Fitch a most unusual weapon and opposing coaches a giant headache.

Riley had to match up 6-8 Kurt Rambis with Sampson, giving away eight inches in height.

“Those matchups present a problem for everybody, not just us,� said Riley.

“They are very, very big people.�

For awhile, the Lakers looked like they might overcome their matchup difficulties. They led, 51-50, at the half, but fell behind by four in a wild third quarter during which Olajuwon scored 13 points despite being in foul trouble.

Hollins and Wiggins shot the Rockets into a 99-89 lead four minutes into the fourth quarter and the Lakers weren’t quite able to come back. Michael Cooper and Jamaal Wilkes had no offense left after Tuesday night’s win in Portland, converting only two of 13 field goal attempts.

That left the Laker offensive burden up to Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, although James Worthy got loose for 21 points. But while Olajuwon and Sampson received scoring support from other players, the Lakers did not.

Riley, however, expressed more concern about how the Lakers follow one good game with a poor one the next night. Playing well in back-to-back games was a bigger problem than Twin Towers, Riley said.

“It’s becoming annoying to me,� he said. “I can’t accept it. They play one night and take the next night off. A couple more games like this and I think they’ll get the message.�

Fitch said the combination of Olajuwon and Sampson, both selected to the All-Star team, has worked out just fine after a somewhat shaky start in the exhibition season.

Laker notes

Larry Spriggs did not play after he sprained his right ankle and bruised his leg at Portland . . . Mitch Kupchak, who missed his second consecutive game because of cut above his right eye, is questionable for Friday night’s game against the Knicks in the Forum.