In a battle of two future MVPs and Hall of Famers, Hakeem Olajuwon dropped 45 points on David Robinson and the San Antonio in a 98-88 win by the Houston Rockets on April 10, 1993 (box score).
In addition to scoring 45 on 16-of-30 shooting (53.3%), Olajuwon also had 14 rebounds, four steals, and two blocked shots. Robinson led the Spurs with 24 points (45.5% FG) and 11 rebounds, but he was no match for Olajuwon on that night at The Summit in Houston.
To supplement Olajuwon’s outburst inside, guard Vernon Maxwell added 17 points for the Rockets on 3-of-6 shooting (50%) from 3-point range. The victory improved Houston to 49-25 on the 1992-93 NBA season, while dropping San Antonio to 45-29.
It was a sign of what was to come when the Rockets met the Spurs in the 1995 Western Conference Finals — just over two years later.
Though Robinson won the league’s MVP award that season, Olajuwon got the best of him when it mattered by averaging an incredible 35.3 points (56.0% FG), 12.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 4.2 blocks per game against the Spurs in the playoffs. Houston won the series by a 4-2 margin, and eventually its second consecutive NBA championship.
