Aldridge shines once again, as Portland edge past Houston Rockets
LaMarcus Aldridge is hitting his peak. Aldridge registered a team-high 27 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, as the Portland Trail Blazers held on for an impressive 103-100 victory over the Houston Rockets, at Toyota Center in Houston.
"It's big for us," Aldridge said. "We didn't really want to talk about the tiebreaker because you don't want to put too much pressure on it, but everybody knew that if it comes down to it with them, we should be good."
Patrick Mills pushed the pace whenever he could and added a career-high 14 points for Portland, who defeat Houston for the second time in four days. Rudy Fernandez contributed 12 points and five assists to give the Trail Blazers their third win from their
last four games. Portland ended the game with a 27-11 run. Nick Batum, Marcus Camby, and Dante Cunningham scored 10 points each for Portland, who won their 19th game of the season.
Kevin Martin continued his mid-range shooting display, finishing with a season high 45 points for Rockets. However, that was not enough to prevent Houston from losing their 19th game of the season. Shane Battier ended with 13 points, three assists
and four rebounds for Houston, who lost for the fourth time in the last five games.
Game Story
Kevin did all he could and to keep his side in the game with a season-high 45 points, but the Houston Rockets couldn’t take advantage, as they went nine minutes without a basket down the stretch. However, Portland overcame a 13-point fourth quarter deficit
to defeat Houston at their home court.
Houston put up a good fight in the first half and trailed by eight at half time. However, Portland were able to impose their will and blow the game wide open in the fourth quarter, in which they trimmed the deficit.
Early in the opening quarter, a variety of players scored for Portland. On one possession, Aldridge was able to navigate into the lane for a finger roll. On another, Mills went backdoor and had a three-pointer, after Fernandez provided him a fantastic pass
to seal the first quarter with a six-point lead (31-25).
The Trail Blazers got going offensively in the second quarter, and extended their lead to eight points, to take a 47-55 lead into the second. Houston coach Rick Adelman said after the game, "We just didn't come out and play in the first half like we needed
to play. We had a bad four-minute stretch in the final quarter that cost us. It's a tough loss."
The Rockets got back into the game in the third quarter, as they limited their turnovers ad played some tenacious shots. Martin scored 19 points in the third period, as Houston outscored Portland 33-19, to take a 80-74 lead into the last quarter. A Chase
Budinger three-pointer put Houston 89-76 ahead with more than nine minutes remaining. However, the Trail Blazers answered with 13 consecutive points to tie the game at 89 with less than seven minutes left.
With 52 seconds remaining, Rudy Fernandez hit a left-wing jumper off the dribble, as the shot clock ran down for a 98-97 lead. Aldridge had a left-handed three-pointer for a 100-97 edge with 13 seconds to go.
Up Next
Houston will play their next game on the road against Orlando Magic on Friday, 7 January, 2011 at Amway Center.
Portland will play their next game on the road against Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, 7 January, 2011 at Target Center.
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