Hakeem Olajuwon - 5x5
24 PTS • 19 REB • 6 AST • 5 STL • 5 BLK
42 minutes • Houston Rockets 110, New Jersey Nets 88
Hakeem Olajuwon began the 1993-94 NBA season with one of the most complete opening-night performances in league history. On November 5, 1993, Olajuwon recorded 24 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocked shots as the Houston Rockets defeated the New Jersey Nets 110-88 at The Summit.
Olajuwon played 42 minutes and shot 9-for-17 from the field and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line. He grabbed four offensive rebounds and 15 defensive rebounds while contributing across every major statistical category.
The performance qualified as a 5x5 because Olajuwon recorded at least five points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He reached exactly five in both steals and blocks while nearly collecting 20 rebounds.
Game Score
| Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
| New Jersey Nets |
25 |
17 |
22 |
24 |
88 |
| Houston Rockets |
26 |
25 |
35 |
24 |
110 |
Houston Rockets Box Score
| Player | MP | FG | FGA | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
| Robert Horry | 36 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 18 |
| Vernon Maxwell | 29 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | 42 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 24 |
| Kenny Smith | 25 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Otis Thorpe | 30 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| Scott Brooks | 19 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Matt Bullard | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Sam Cassell | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Mario Elie | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Carl Herrera | 22 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Eric Riley | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Team Totals | 240 | 43 | 83 | 2 | 10 | 22 | 28 | 13 | 33 | 46 | 25 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 19 | 110 |
New Jersey Nets Box Score
| Player | MP | FG | FGA | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
| Kenny Anderson | 38 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| Derrick Coleman | 35 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| Kevin Edwards | 29 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Chris Morris | 35 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 |
| Dwayne Schintzius | 24 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| P.J. Brown | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Armon Gilliam | 22 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| Rumeal Robinson | 23 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Rex Walters | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jayson Williams | 13 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Team Totals | 240 | 35 | 96 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 19 | 88 |
Another Olajuwon 5x5
A 5x5 requires at least five points, five rebounds, five assists, five steals and five blocked shots in the same game. Olajuwon reached all five categories with 24 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks.
He came just one rebound short of a 20-rebound game while also leading Houston in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Only Vernon Maxwell, with eight assists, finished with more assists for the Rockets.
Olajuwon's defensive impact was enormous. He accounted for five of Houston's eight blocks and five of its 14 steals.
A Dominant Season Opener
The performance came in Houston's first game of the 1993-94 regular season. The Rockets led by only one point after the opening quarter before gradually taking control.
Houston led 51-42 at halftime and then broke the game open with a 35-22 third quarter. That gave the Rockets an 86-64 advantage entering the fourth quarter, and the teams each scored 24 points in the final period.
Houston shot 43-for-83 from the field while holding New Jersey to 35-for-96. The Rockets also recorded 14 steals and eight blocked shots.
Strong Contributions Around Olajuwon
Robert Horry scored 18 points with seven rebounds and three steals, while Vernon Maxwell contributed 16 points, eight assists and three steals. Otis Thorpe added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Houston also received 11 points from Carl Herrera and nine apiece from Kenny Smith and Scott Brooks.
Chris Morris led New Jersey with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Derrick Coleman finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Kenny Anderson and Rumeal Robinson each scored 14.
The Beginning of a Historic Rockets Season
This 110-88 victory was the first game of what became a historic season for Houston. The Rockets opened the 1993-94 campaign with a long winning streak and eventually developed into one of the NBA's elite teams.
Olajuwon's opening-night 5x5 offered an early preview of the all-around dominance he would display throughout the season. His combination of scoring, rebounding, passing, steals and shot blocking made him the centerpiece of Houston's offense and defense.
The season ultimately became one of the defining campaigns of Olajuwon's career and of Rockets franchise history.
Olajuwon's Historic 5x5 Performances
NBAHoopsOnline's historic box-score archive includes several of Hakeem Olajuwon's extraordinary all-around games:
March 3, 1990 - 29 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 steals and 11 blocks
March 29, 1990 - 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 blocks - Quadruple-Double
April 11, 1992 - 19 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks
April 22, 1993 - 33 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks
November 5, 1993 - 24 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks
December 30, 1993 - 34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 8 blocks
Game Notes
Date: November 5, 1993
Location: The Summit, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 11,128
Final Score: Houston Rockets 110, New Jersey Nets 88
Houston Record After Game: 1-0
New Jersey Record After Game: 0-1
Leading Scorer: Hakeem Olajuwon - 24 points
Leading Rebounder: Hakeem Olajuwon - 19 rebounds
Most Assists: Vernon Maxwell - 8 assists
Most Steals: Hakeem Olajuwon - 5 steals
Most Blocks: Hakeem Olajuwon - 5 blocks
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Hakeem Olajuwon recorded 24 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks against the New Jersey Nets on November 5, 1993. Houston won 110-88.
