On March 21, 1989, future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Alex English engaged in an epic duel at The Summit in Houston.
In his fifth NBA season, the 25-year-old Olajuwon led the Rockets (36-29) with 36 points on 16-of-31 (51.6%) shooting, and he also added a game-high 23 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
But it wasn’t enough that day in a 112-110 loss (box score) to the Denver Nuggets (36-30), who were led by 37 points from English on 15-of-29 shooting (51.7%). An eight-time All-Star, English averaged 26.5 points per game in the 1988-89 season, which ranked fifth in the NBA.
Olajuwon averaged 24.8 points (50.8% FG), 13.5 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game that season, and he finished fifth in 1988-89 MVP voting. English and Olajuwon started at small forward and center, respectively, for the Western Conference in the 1989 NBA All-Star Game (box score).
Though the Nuggets beat the Rockets on March 21, Houston (45-37) still held off Denver (44-38) for the No. 5 spot in the 1988-89 West standings. Both teams lost in the first round of the 1989 playoffs.
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