Rockets Squeak By
posted: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 9:29 PM
After falling behind by more than 20 points in the second half, the Trail Blazers put together a spirited comeback that fell just short. Portland cut the Houston lead to just two points in the game's final minute. But when they needed big shots, the Rockets got them from their stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming and some clutch free throws from Rafer Alston
McGrady was shook up in the game's final minute as Brandon Roy fell on his extended knee. McGrady got up under his own power after spending some time spread out on the court. He finished with a game-high 32 points.
Yao Ming had 27 to go along with 12 rebounds.
Portland, when things were looking bleak, refused to give up and showed, once again, that they are a team with tons of heart and passion for this game.
Brandon Roy once again led the Trail Blazers with 20 points. He also added five rebounds and six assists.
Fred Jones had his best game to date in a Trail Blazer uniform, finishing with 18 points.
But in the end, the Trail Blazers fall 99-95.
Yao Fouled
posted: at 9:28 PM
Sure looked like the Rockets may not have gotten the ball in before the five-second count.
Yao hits the first... Rockets up three.
Hits the second and that should do it.
Jamaal Dunks
posted: at 9:26 PM
Alston fouled again.
7.5 seconds left, Trail Blazers down three.
Alston..................hits the first.
The fans that left should know better than to walk out on this team.
Alston misses the second.
Dickau scores. Deficit down to two.
Just one second remains. Timeout Houston.
Travis Drops a THREE!
posted: at 9:16 PM
That cuts the Rocket lead to just three!
Rafer Alston is quickly fouled, and with 11.9 seconds left he makes both free throws.
Timeout Portland.
96-91, Rockets.
McGrady Makes a Big Play
posted: at 9:13 PM
He cuts through the lane and makes a twising, acrobatic layup to give the Rockets their 10-point lead back. Just two-minutes remain.
Jones AGAIN!
posted: at 9:07 PM
Right at Yao and he scoops up two more points!
But Tracy McGrady, superstar that he is, nails a huge three.
Rockets up eight, 3:30 to play.
Yao Misses a Pair
posted: at 9:05 PM
Portland down nine.
FRED JONES TAKES IT RIGHT AT YAO, SCORES AND IS FOULED!
Make that Houston lead seven again... Jones misses the free throw, but gathers the long bounce!
ROY HITS!
Five points!
85-80, Houston and Schenscher fouls Yao to prevent an easy dunk. Luke fouls out and gets a huge hand from this livid crowd.
Schenscher over Yao!
posted: at 9:00 PM
Throws a nice sweeping hook over the Houston Big Man.
A stop...
And Brandon Roy nails a three!
Down by just 10 and this crowd is going wild.
Another stop! A score could cut it to single digits.
FREDDY DOES IT WITH STYLE! HE NAILS A THREE! PORTLAND WITHIN SEVEN! 6:00 TO PLAY.
Trail Blazers 76, Rockets 83.
Timeout Houston, and you can bet that Tracy McGrady is coming back in.
Rocket Lead Down to 13
posted: at 8:58 PM
Plenty of time left...
Schenscher...
posted: at 8:53 PM
...gets a shot a a three-point play but it rattles out.
Trail Blazers 66, Rockets 81 with just under 9:00 to play.
Travis Steals
posted: at 8:50 PM
And sets up Luke Schenscher up for an easy two.
They get a stop, then Fred Jones hits a three!
Let quickly cut to 14 in just a minute and a half.
78-64, Rockets.
Heading Towards the Fourth
posted: at 8:46 PM
Trail Blazers enter the fourth and their going to need a little mojo and perhaps a little magic to overcome the 19-point deficit they find themselves battling back from.
12:00 more mintes to go, Trail Blazers need some buckets and more importantly, some stops.
Chris Dudley in the House
posted: at 8:35 PM
Gets a nice hand once his kids tell him he's on the big screen.
Jerome Kersey, as he often is, is also in attendence tonight.
Portland are still having a difficult time getting the ball to stay in the hole. They're shooting 39% from the field to the Rockets 51%.
Tracy McGrady, meanwhile, has been turning up the volume. He's got 25. Yao's got a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards.
Rockets 78, Trail Blazers 56 with 1:30 left in the third.
Travis Gets a Steal and a Dunk
posted: at 8:31 PM
Cuts the deficit to 20, but more importantly, the soaring two handed jam gets this crowd back into the mix.
Trail Blazers force another turnover.
Roy makes a beautiful, impossible shot in the lane, which refs at first take away, but then correct their mistake. Amazing, amazing shot.
He's got 15.
Jack's Three Answers McGrady's
posted: at 8:26 PM
Good thing. Can't let this one get out of hand.
But on the other end Yao scores and is fouled. He hits the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Back to Yao
posted: at 8:21 PM
The Rockets are again establishing Yao's presence in the paint early.
He's got 16 points and eight boards. McGrady also has 16, and along with Rafer Alston's 15, the Rockets are up 61-41.
Coach McMillan called for time in hopes of slowing the rising tide.
At the Half
posted: at 8:02 PM
Unbelieveable! Travis Outlaw whistled for a goaltend that was clearly a block. The call caused Nate McMillan to leap off the bench in disbelief. Then Rafer Alston stole the inbounds pass.
Five quick, undeserved points for the Rockets (though lucky McMillan didn't draw the technical, which would have made it six). Houston is up 53-36 at the half.
Brandon Roy and Fred Jones lead Portland with eight points each.
Fan Question: Dirtiest Locker
posted: at 7:56 PM
Who has the messest locker?
Zach Randolph, and it's unanimous. Even Z-Bo himself agrees.
Unfortunately the Trail Blazers offense is looking a little messy, though a good bit of that has to be attributed to the Rockets top-notch defense.
Portland is shooting 38% from the field, which isn't going to get it don against the Rockets 53%.
Portland 32, Houston 45.
Rockets Answer Trail Blazer Run
posted: at 7:44 PM
A couple of free throws from Yao Ming and a three from Luther Head puts the Rockets back up 12.
38-26 with 7:19 to play in the half.
Make that 38-29 after a Martell Webster three, his first points of the night.
Freddie on Fire!
posted: at 7:38 PM
That's eight straight!
This one a slicing layup.
Portland, after being down as many as 12, have cut it to six.
30-24, Houston.
Trail Blazers force a Rocket turnover!
Back to Back Freddie
posted: at 7:30 PM
Jones hits two difficult running shots back to back in the lane...
Wait! Make it three in a row (six points) with that last 18 footer.
Trail Blazers 22, Rockets 30.
Roy Shows McGrady his Moves
posted: at 7:29 PM
And drains one in the star player's eye.
But on the other end McGrady says, "oh no young man, let me show you something," and hits a nasty turnaround fadeaway jumper.
Rockets up eight.
Houston Going to Yao
posted: at 7:20 PM
As the Trail Blazers are lacking in bigs, the Rockets are going to Yao down low on almost every possesion.
Perhaps they're hoping to get Portland's front line in trouble... or maybe just trying to get Yao involved...
Either way, it's not a bad to give the ball to one of the tallest, most talented big-man the league has ever seen.
Trail Blazers 8, Rockets 13. 4:38 to play in the opening period.
Trivia
posted: at 7:15 PM
Who can tell me where Jamaal Magloire got the nickname "Big Cat"?
Trail Blazers up, 4-2.
Correction
posted: at 7:12 PM
Raef is starting at power forward, not Travis Outlaw.
Game is off to the races, though neither team has point any points on the board.
Rockets Fans in the House
posted: at 7:05 PM
Well, perhaps Rockets fans isn't the right idea -- more like McGrady fans and Yao fans.
And lucky for all fans at the Rose Garden tonight, both Tracy and Yao will suit up to play tonight. Both superstars have been injured frequently throughout the season. It's almost rare to see both of them play together, and indeed it is the first time the two have visited Portland together this year. But still, the Rockets have perservered.
Martell getting the start tonight, along with Travis, Jamaal, Jack and Roy.
Trail Blazers and Rockets
posted: at 6:58 PM
For the second time in a week the Trail Blazers take on the Rockets. But this time the game is in Portland and the Rockets have both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady back.
In a pregame interview coach McMillan said he expects the recent loss is still fresh in Rocket memory. "I'm sure they're thinking of it," said McMillan.
Still, the Trail Blazers have something going for them they didn't last week: home court.
And since there're only two more games at the Rose Garden (after this one), Portland fans ought to be pumped.
Portland leads the season series, two games to one.
Teams are shooting around and getting loose. Wont be long now...
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