HOUSTON -- LaMarcus Aldridge had the biggest output in the ongoing playoffs thus far, scoring 46 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers over the Houston Rockets in overtime, 122-120.
The 6-foot-11 Aldridge made 17 of 31 field goals, 10 of 13 free throws and all 2 of his threes Sunday night at the Toyota Center, helping Portland gain a 1-0 lead in their best-of-7 Western Conference quarterfinals.
Damian Lillard was also spectacular for Portland, finishing with 31 points and 9 assists. Wesley Matthews added 18 and Nicolas Batum tallied 14 for the No.5 seeded Blazers.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the No.4 ranked Rockets, who led 98-87 with only 4:30 left in regulation.
But the Rockets couldn't finish the job by missing 14 of their 40 total free throws. Center Dwight Howard, who finished with 27 and 15 rebounds, bungled 8 of 17 freebies, including four in a row when the Blazers began fouling him intentionally.
James Harden registered 27 points but he missed an astounding 20 of 28 field goals, including a fade away jumper that could have forced a second overtime. Jeremy Lin had 14 points and four assists for Houston, which made only 43 of 105 shots (41 percent) and 8-of-35 from 3-point range (22.9 percent).
Game 2 of series resumes Wednesday night (Thursday morning in Manila) at the Toyota Center. (RT)
Photo: LaMarcus Aldridge had a huge 46 points in Portland's 122-120 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Rochelle Tubis.