Portland Trail Blazers在周五晚上在玫瑰园加班时击败了休斯敦火箭队。。
Portland Trail Blazers在周五晚上在玫瑰园的加班时击败了休斯敦火箭队，在赛季进入4-5。
年轻的团队给予他们服用，他们给偏头痛，他们耐心，他们给出赛跑脉冲，他们采取一些可疑的镜头，他们给了2015年的瞥见，他们一步一步，有时在错误的方向上，有时候没有，直到他们长大或者是时候放弃了。这些年轻的西装队最近一直在播放游戏，通过缓慢开始和折叠饰面，但周五在令人振奋的方式上占据了一个。
dave 正确称为这个nicolas batum的最佳游戏（我'll删除“或许”）;由于它在两端都是无限的，他仍然是游戏决定的外围，这是一系列戏剧由达米亚黎加的戏剧，使大胆，平静，偷看在迄今为止未知。
lillard射击它，他一直射击它，他一直射击它，虽然巴塔姆在至少一个场合疯狂地疯狂地挥舞着，但几个财产拖出太长而且伤了差，球保持不好蜿蜒双手，他的队友一直迫使他犯罪，而且他又送了，更频繁。
“他并不害怕，”波塔姆对拉泽德的布拉德说。“这只是他职业生涯的第九场比赛。他像这是他的第五或六年一样。他像兽医一样扮演兽医。我印象深刻。我对他的一切印象深刻。我们知道他很快，我们知道他可以得分，但他非常非常成熟。“
在第7:45的调节中，林马库斯·阿尔德里奇在43分钟内完成了29分，没有尝试单一射击。 In a seven minute stretch from 4:27 in the fourth to 1:22 in overtime, Lillard was the only Blazers player to score, save rookie center Meyers Leonard, who knocked down two free throws. After shooting just 4-for-10 for 11 points through three quarters, Lillard scored 16 of his career-high 27 points in the game's final 9:05.
He scored in various ways: knocking down deep jumpers, getting a call by getting into a defender's body near the rim, finishing a lay-up on the move, and nailing one from mid-range. The variety of the attack, and its quick succession, made it clear that coach Terry Stotts was getting out of his rookie point guard's way. "He made good reads with his decisions," Stotts said. "They switched some pick-and-rolls, he shot it, drove it and passed it. Made big shots, made big drives."
"He'll draw up a play and let us make reads," Lillard said of his late-game orders. "I kind of got rolling around that time and I felt comfortable taking those shots."
The shift in Lillard's reads when this game went from push to shove was noticeable. Batum scored 14 points in the third quarter and added nine in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. Aldridge had 20 of his first 26 points in the first three quarters, then mostly watched until the very end, when he scored the final three points in overtime to seal the win. The make-or-break sequences, then, were in Lillard's hands.
"Throughout the entire game I'm in position in pick-and-rolls and transition to call my own number," Lillard told Blazersedge. "But I wouldn't really say it's calling my own number, I think it's just decision-making."
Lillard called his own number on the final play of regulation, and just missed sending his hype train to warp speed when his three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out. "I had a scored a few times in a row. I was going to try to get to the rim, every time I moved the ball I saw him jumping back," he said. "I was feeling good so I rose up and shot it."
The shot rimmed off, or a Rose Garden crowd that was seated and docile for much of the game would have been headed for a little Roydemonium. Unlike with Batum's quick three-pointer against the San Antonio Spurs recently, Stotts said that he didn't have a problem with Lillard's decision to shoot a three rather than attack the hoop, even though driving on previous possessions had proven fruitful.
"If it goes in, everybody loves it," Stotts said. "He had made one, he was on a roll. He's in that spot, he has to make that decision and choice. If it doesn't go in, everybody says you should have drove it. It's too easy to try and criticize after the fact."
That last sentence was a particularly nice touch, given that he had done that exact thing with regards to Batum's shot just a few days earlier, but his apparent contradiction made a degree of sense. Here, the game was tied and Portland seemed to have better control of the endgame. Against the Spurs, Portland was down two and wasn't necessarily at last resort time. Both shots probably should have been drives, but neither was awful. The biggest message was one of trust: Stotts, as he had demonstrated in the game's final four minutes, was fine with Lillard having a non-rookie amount of authority in the situation. He gave him the "no second-guessing" superstar treatment that he hadn't given Batum.
"I knew that he would get a look, whether it was a drive or a jump shot," Stotts said. "Worst case, we were going to overtime. I like the ball in his hands as a good way to dictate the time, they couldn't get it out of his hands."
The "I like the ball in his hands" part likely rings true for everyone at this game. The line is very fine between anticipation and dread in those situations, and it goes without saying what side of the line last season played out on. The 2011-12 sensation was particularly jarring after years of living on the bright side with Brandon Roy.
"I didn't even realize I had 16 out of 18 [Blazers points]," Lillard said of the key stretch. "In my mind, I felt like I was a part of the run because I could remember Nic making shots, L.A. getting fouled."
He said that, fully believably and without lip service, and that "in the moment" focus is what's inspiring the confidence from Stotts, from Batum, and from everyone else in attendance. A possession or two could have been better used by more actively involving Aldridge. Importantly, though, none were outright squandered. The Blazers committed just two turnovers in the fourth quarter and overtime; the Rockets committed six. The ball was primarily in Lillard's hands, he gets the bulk share of the credit for that care.
He also gets credit, or at least shares it with Stotts, for realizing, with the game tied at 116 and 1:21 left in overtime, that it was time to go back to Aldridge. Portland had just missed two jumpers, back-to-back, and it was closing time. A loss here, after three recent home losses, to a lottery-bound team, would have been heartbreaking given the effort expended in pulling back from a 16-point deficit. Stotts said that feeding Aldridge on back-to-back possessions, one that resulted in free throws and Omer Asik fouling out, the other with an Aldridge jumper, was "by design."
"I don't know if [Lillard] was tired, but when Asik fouled out we wanted to go to LaMarcus [again]," he said. "It's hard for one guy to carry it. Nic had his spurt, Damian had his spurt, and we needed LaMarcus, just to change it up, rather than have a steady diet of the same thing."
It was a seamless shift, the right call at the right moment, even if perhaps a little late coming. Lillard didn't fall in love with the hero ball. He didn't overcompensate after the buzzer-beating miss. He didn't force entry passes or lose possession off the dribble, or any of the other things that could go wrong, and did go wrong in recent Blazers history. Instead, he got out of the way and surrendered control to his No. 1 option, an expressed goal for this team since training camp but one that hasn't been realized much to date.
"We all wanted to go to LaMarcus at the end of the game," Lillard told Blazersedge. "It was a tie game. He's our All-Star so there's no reason we don't go to him for the last minute and a half of the game. Let them have to guard him. Let him make decisions... I thought he did well. He always does. We want him to score the ball. We throw it to him, he's going to score. He never forces it."
There was another whole layer of unselfishness at play here, running concurrently on a parallel plane. That would be Batum, who was scorching hot throughout, tying his career-high with 35 points (more on that in the notes below) on 13-for-19 shooting. He hit 5-for-6 during a high-energy third quarter run, something that's becoming a specialty of his, and then took a step back on offense down the stretch without checking out of the game on the other end. Let me rephrase: he stepped back on offense while making game-impacting play after game-impacting play on defense, including a pair of late blocks that he doesn't conceive of making in previous seasons. The confidence and the understanding that he needs to be the player to push the game his way during late moments is developing. He finished with six rebounds, four assists, five blocks and a steal.
"I feel great because the last two times I got a career-high we lost the game," Batum said. "Now I got a career-high and we win the game. That feels good."
After Monday's loss, Batum gave one-word answers and hustled out of the locker room; on Friday, he took his time, explaining how to execute a chasedown block and laughing about how his teammates were egging him on to score 40 points during the game. The give and the take.
"This was a hell of a game," a grinning Stotts said. "When it mattered, we played pretty well." He'll take that.
Random Game Notes
Terry Stotts' Post-Game Comments
Opening comments
This was a hell of a game. Had to make it interesting. One thing that's evident with our team this year is that we compete until the end. For a long stretch of the game, it wasn't the way we wanted it, but when it mattered we played pretty well.
Damian Lillard
He made good reads with his decisions. They switched some pick-and-rolls, he shot it, drove it and passed it. Made big shots, made big drives.
Nicolas Batum
Nic had a roll going. The stretch where everything was going in and he came back in and he stayed hot. The plays he made, the shots he made were not easy, but he did it and he made it look easy. When you win a game you look at all the positives, we had a lot of good effort offensively and defensively. Jared Jeffries comes in and takes two charges and changes the dynamics of the game with his defense, just like he did in Sacramento. Meyers Leonard added energy and rim protection. All the offensive players did what they did. Wes Matthews took the challenge of guarding Harden, actually the whole team did, we blitzed him and tried to make his pick-and-rolls difficult on him. There's a lot of praise to go around.
Meyers Leonard down the stretch
Meyers is a good shooter. People haven't gotten to see him shoot that much. He's a good free throw shooter, a good mid-range shooter. He was extremely active on his pick-and-roll defense, showing on multiple pick-and-rolls on the same possession, changed some shots around the rim, it was a good performance.
Lots of Damian Lillard's shots and then you came back to LaMarcus Aldridge at the end
That was by design. I don't know if [Lillard] was tired, but when Asik fouled out we wanted to go to LaMarcus. It's hard for one guy to carry it. Nic had his spurt, Damian had his spurt, and we needed LaMarcus, just to change it up, rather than have a steady diet of the same thing.
Win for young team to build off of
I hope so. To me it was very similar to our game down in Houston. The first half, we were out of sorts at both ends of the court in both these games. We came out in the second half with more determination, we trusted the pass more, and it went into overtime like it did down in Houston. I thought the two games were very similar. That being said, in Houston I was hoping that would be a defining game for us, the way we won it, and this game was very similar.
Damian Lillard's final shot of regulation
If it goes in everybody loves it. He had made one, he was on a roll. He's in that spot, he has to make that decision and choice. If it doesn't go in, everybody says you should have drove it. It's too easy to try and criticize after the fact.
Just a clear out for Damian Lillard
Tie game, I just wanted to make sure we got the last shot. He had hit some shots, I knew that he would get a look, whether it was a drive or a jump shot. Worst case, we were going to overtime. I like the ball in his hands as a good way to dictate the time, they couldn't get it out of his hands.
Nicolas Batum's blocks
Our biggest challenge as a team is protecting the rim and protecting the paint. Whether it's J.J., Meyers, or Nic. Nic has that ability to come out of nowhere and block shots with his length and athleticism. It was a big play.
What's driving third quarter runs
Our poor first halves.
Resolve
I saw a lot of resolve in both of those games. Clippers, we were down 20 and we come back and make it a game. Same thing in San Antonio, we had a last second shot. Atlanta we battled back, it was down to the last 30 seconds. I thought we showed resolve in those games as well, we just didn't win. Our guys compete. From Day One, that's been our mantra. We've got to compete.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
The Blazers use three-pointers, timely defense, and some surprising contributions up and down the lineup to pull out a thrilling overtime victory versus the Houston Rockets.
Whoa, this was an exciting game...easily the most thrilling contest of the young season and perhaps since Brandon Roy left the team. Anybody who just wants to enjoy it on its own merits without too much analysis, I totally understand. Go with my blessing. :::making the sign of the holy Three Goggles:::
For those who want or need a quarter-by-quarter recap before diving in, Timmay's is HERE.
In the abbreviated preview to this game we kept things short and simple. We said the Blazers had to defend a little bit no matter what, but that this game would be decided by how many easy looks the Blazers gave up to the Rockets. Make Houston play honest and the Blazers win. Give Houston freebies and the Blazers lose.
Those freebies and easy looks came aplenty for the Rockets for about two and a half quarters. The Blazers committed twin sins of turning over the ball and not getting back on defense. Whether in tandem or separately, these trends created two pillars upon which the Rockets stood as they systematically demolished the Blazers, building a 16-point lead. We saw some of the usual problems with players making moves outside their comfort zone and skill set, leading to fumbles and picks. The Blazers also invented new ways to blow the game. When you see a guard launch a three from the top of the arc, miss, and then that guard is nowhere to be found when the opponent runs back the ball for a layup attempt you just have to shake your head. It was bad.
The other serious issue for the Blazers--the third pillar for the Rockets on their way to victory--was Omer Asik. This guy was eating the Blazers alive on the boards and creating pressure inside on offense which either allowed him to score or kept his teammates wide open. This looked like the shortcoming that sealed the deal for the Blazers. Leaks on the run were one thing, but a constant leak in the paint was too much to overcome.
One of the perils of fielding a young team, though, is not knowing how they'll play. Sometimes that's game by game but often it's minute to minute. The match doesn't always light under Portland's firecracker, but when the fuse hits and the explosives go off, they go off big. Game-long star Nicolas Batum went off like a Roman Candle in the fateful third period and the Blazers rallied around him. All of a sudden the turnovers dried up, five guys got back on defense, and Houston drives that had created and-ones in the first half were now ending in charges. Like demolition experts the Blazers blasted away at the lead three points at a time, bomb after bomb finding the mark. Now Houston was rattled and Portland was benefiting from turnovers. Batum, Matthews, Lillard...the hits just kept on coming. The defense remained sweet and opportunistic through the fourth quarter and overtime. Problems arose with rebounding and missed outside shots. The Blazers solved the former by contesting shots harder. They never kept the Rockets off the boards so they just kept making them miss. They solved the latter by re-discovering LaMarcus Aldridge who gave them enough of a lead in overtime to bring them home. When the final horn sounded the Blazers had escaped with a 2-point win courtesy of some great defensive play in overtime. Anyone who switched off the game in the second quarter would be shocked.
On paper it's going to look like offense won this game. In a sense I suppose it did. Some of those second-half threes were near-magical. Portland shot over 51% for the game and hit 10-25 from beyond the arc, 40%. But the real number here was the 46.6% clip that Houston shot from the field. That doesn't seem like much of a defensive achievement from the Blazers, but the Rockets were shooting 50-obnoxious% for much of this contest. Houston had 50 points in the paint, but precious few of them came late. The Blazers committed 18 turnovers...again on paper a bad number. But it shines brilliantly when you consider that only 2 of them came after the third period horn sounded. The Blazers corrected themselves, fought hard, and showed enough poise to win. That's the overall storyline from this game.
That doesn't mean that fascinating individual stories were absent. In fact they abounded...
Individual Notes
This was the best game Nicolas Batum has played in recent memory, perhaps ever. Let's forget the points for a minute. He came out from the opening tip ready to rebound and defend. His body language, energy, and drive demonstrated that he was into this game the moment he took the floor. Having created that environment for himself, his natural game blossomed. It showed in how hard James Harden had to work for his points. The coaching staff made a great move tonight, keeping either Batum or Wesley Matthews on Harden at all times. Batum responded like a champ. He rebounded hard early, finishing the game with 6 boards. He blocked 5 shots on the night including possession-saving, game-saving monster blocks at the end of the fourth period AND overtime both. And now we can get to his shooting. It was like Samantha twinkled her nose and Batum literally could not miss for most of the night. He was taking obscene three-pointers in the second half and draining every one. Evidently Darren shook his finger at Samantha and made her change the world back to normal as regulation closed, but instead of folding into his shell Batum just played harder on "D". Also--and this is significant--when the Blazers' offensive magic had run out in general during that overtime period Batum was the one who calmed the team down with a hand wave, demanded the ball, and got the ball to LaMarcus Aldridge--heretofore ignored by the happy-shooting wings--in the post. Batum ended the night 13-19 from the field, 5-8 from the arc, with 35 points total. It was just a brilliant effort.
LaMarcus Aldridge hit his face-up shots early then went cold. He heated up again along with his teammates and provided the offense that provided the different in overtime when the Blazers looked like they might give the game back to Houston. Aldridge also drew 9 foul shots on a night when they were obviously available. He finished 11-19 for 29 points with 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Damian Lillard was nothing special early but began to dominate after Batum had re-ignited the offense. Lillard scored almost all of Portland's points headed down the stretch in the fourth. He also got the call for the final shot in regulation which could have won the game for the Blazers. He put up a rather weak fade-away three attempt, so that needs work. But it was interesting that Damian, among all the hot hands and proven players, got the nod there. (I may be reading too much into expressions, but Aldridge may not have been entirely thrilled about this, particularly since the shot missed.) All things considered Lillard also did fairly well defensively, although we must note that his teammates have figured out where and when they need to help him and that help is coming with regularity now. The result is fewer points for point guards but more open shots for shooting guards and small forwards on the other team. In any case, Lillard scored 27 on 9-18 shooting, 3-9 from distance, 6-6 from the foul line. Those foul shots show he was driving some, but he could probably shave down those three point attempts and penetrate more. He does tend to rely on the deep shot as a default, which it shouldn't become for him. Lillard also had 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Wesley Matthews guarded James Harden along with Batum and did a credible job. This was one of the first times we've clearly seen the heralded Matthews-Batum defensive tandem peak together. Though his shot was off (6-18 from the field, 2-7 from the arc, and an inexcusable 1-5 from the foul line) his energy stayed high. He also put the period on the end of Portland's great night when he committed an intentional foul on James Harden in a loose ball situation with less than a second to go in overtime and the Blazers up 3. Harden was trying to pass to the three-point arc for a last, game-tying attempt. Matthews' foul was astute and showed how into this game he was. 15 points, 5 rebounds, and a rare 5 assists for Wes tonight.
J.J. Hickson still rebounded like a tiger when he was in the game but he had all kinds of problems with Asik, as mentioned above. He played 25 minutes and grabbed 7 rebounds. His difficulties opened the door for...
Meyers Leonard, who got the honor of finishing regulation and playing overtime at the center position in this game. Those looking for breakthrough moments for Leonard, this is your first. The coaching staff looked at Asik, pointed to Leonard, and said, "Go. You're our man." Leonard stepped up on the boards, nabbing 8 in 27 minutes. His defense wasn't perfect. He made several mistakes, including a couple huge ones while trying to cover screens. But he played a step above Hickson when defending Asik. He also hit a nice baseline step-in jumper and took a sizzling alley-oop pass from Lillard which he had to dunk with his trailing hand because he was flying by the rim so fast. That was amazing to see. It should have been a botched catch or uncontrolled throw-down. Instead it was one of those, "Oh my goodness!" moments that brought the crowd way beyond their feet. One of the hidden stories of the early season is that Lillard and Leonard seem to have an affinity for each other on those passes. It's like Lillard says, "I'm going to find you even when everybody else doesn't," and Leonard says, "I'm not going to let you down on the finish." 8 points, 8 rebounds, a steal, and a block in 27 minutes.
Ronnie Price was one of the few players who didn't get the chance to redeem themselves tonight. All the Blazers contributed to poor play at one time or another. Even Batum got out of control at times. But Price had trouble defending, couldn't shoot, and didn't get the team into an offense. Plus he committed 4 fouls in his 11 minutes of court time.
Jared Jeffries started out his 10 minutes of play making me wince on a couple of perimeter defensive plays. The write-up I had was that his only job is to go out there and not make mistakes while the starter are resting and he wasn't quite doing it. Just as my pen scratched the final letter on the notepad Jeffries started getting tough, drawing a couple charges on the same drivers who had butchered the Blazers all game. He hyped up the defense and put some backbone into it. Shows how good first impressions are. Let's hope this inspires more such play as the season progresses, as it's what we expected from Jeffries but haven't gotten yet.
Victor Claver was the first forward off the bench tonight. He looked active and happy for the brief moments the Blazers played zone and got to show off a little dribbling on a flashy possession. Otherwise it was a nondescript 9 minutes for him. At least his body language is way more aggressive than most of his mates on the bench.
Sasha Pavlovic got 7 minutes, getting the call in the second half as Claver had in the first.
The Blazers had a nice huddle mid-court at the end of this game. They knew what they had pulled off. Considering they were staring over the edge of a cliff walking into their last game in Sacramento, it was nice to see the camaraderie and confidence...to see them reminding themselves that they want to win games and are capable of doing it.
The BOXSCORE for this game.
The Dream Shake will tell you what this game looked like from the other side.
The JERSEY CONTEST SCOREBOARD for the month and the FORM FOR CHICAGO.
Portland Trail Blazer tickets for all games are available from Blazer's Edge sponsor TiqIQ.
--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)
在玫瑰花园，林马库斯·阿尔德里奇，离合器Damian Lillard和一个占主导地位的疯狂的难忘的夜晚Nicolas Batum让休斯顿火箭困惑地困惑，因为波特兰径丝网在加时赛中偷走了意想不到的胜利。
Batum（35分，6个篮板，4次助攻和5个街区）和Lillard（27分，5次助攻，5个篮板，2次抢断）在积分中建立了新的职业生涯，而Aldridge（29分，6个篮板，2个街区）照顾业务。Wesley Matthews（15分，5个篮板，5次助攻）在路上帮助。并且在替代变化中，迈耶斯伦纳德（8分，8个篮板）接管了JJ Hickson在紧张的时间内。
第一季度：故事是早期的故事。西装外套有4个，它帮助跳起火箭突破。尽管从尼古拉斯巴特鲁姆起到很好的一季度，但休斯顿的10个快脆分数给了他们5分的铅。Victor Praver早期出现并加入了初学者。他惊喜，他向球场带来了能量，并没有看起来不合适。 刚刚创建了一个帐户。 This is a whole different world with auto-refresh comments. No more F5 and scrolling down for me.
by BeesAndDees [who joined the site tonight, along with BlazerMeg. Welcome!]
Second Quarter: The Blazers picked up where they left off, with another turnover, and 5 quick Houston points. From there, the Blazers went into comeback mode. Their energy and aggression made up for offensive limitations, but their defensive limitations caused a larger problem. A James Harden three-pointer pushed the lead to 11, and Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts called timeout. It didn't help, as the Rockets soon pushed the lead to 16. However, the Blazer starters initiated a late run, and Houston couldn't respond. They ended on a 9-0 run, leaving a 7 point deficit at the half.
Down to single digits. I’ll take it.
by FPS NorthWest
Third Quarter: Unfortunately, the Blazers could not continue their momentum into the second half. More defensive miscues left the Blazers in a double-digit hole again within minutes. Missed free throws and a few bad luck plays (Rockets in the right place at the right time) pushed the deficit to 15 again. Repeated comeback attempts were betrayed by their poor defense, allowing easy Houston buckets. Then, out of nowhere, Batum caught fire. He scored 12 straight points, personally closing the gap to 5. Then a Lillard to Leonard alley-oop on the break cut it to three. Lillard followed with a beautiful drive in traffic for a layup, cutting the lead to one as the third quarter ended.
Okay Blazer ambush time. Tied by the end of the 3rd
by sug
I told you all, Blazer ambush was coming and tied by end of the quarter
by sug [who shouldn't brag so much, he was off by 1 point]
Fourth Quarter: A Matthews layup to finally put the weary Blazers ahead. However, Houston found offense against a strange hybrid of starters and bench players. They led by 4 when Batum returned, and it was seconds before his next three. But the poor Blazer defense continued to give the Rockets opportunities, both inside and from three. Soon, the Rockets lead reached 7. Even though Batum's shooting cooled, the Blazers cut the lead to 3 with less than four minutes left. A Lillard three cut the lead to two shortly after. However, as Batum jumped up and down asking for the ball, Damian shot an open three for the lead, and missed. Lillard made up for it, but Batum missed a three. However, Leonard rebounded, and hit two free throws to tie the game with 2 minutes left.
On Houston's possession, Harden turned the ball over against Matthews' defense, and Jeremy Lin grabbed Lillard at half court with only Blazers waiting for an easy dunk. In a shocking call, the referees did not indicate clear path. Lillard hit free throws, but Houston got the ball, and Harden immediately nailed a three. However, Lillard drove the lane with under a minute left, and again snuck a layup into the hoop for the lead. However, he was hit on the head and down on the sidelines. Houston, playing 5 on 4, got Asik a dunk attempt, only to be blocked by the dominant Batum. And after a timeout, Lillard struck again. With Lin defending, Lillard nailed a step-back jumper with 17.9 seconds left to give the Blazers a 3 point lead. In turn, Houston used Harden as a decoy, giving Marcus Morris an open three, and he hit his fourth of the night to tie the game. Lillard missed a three at the buzzer, and we headed to overtime again.
Overtime: Neither team could score in the first minute. But Harden hit a layup as he was fouled by Matthews to give Houston a 3 point lead. In turn, Damian Lillard nailed a three at the other end. Asik's free throws gave Houston the lead again, but Lillard responded with a heavily-guarded two-pointer with a toe on the three point line. Asik missed, Lillard missed, and Portland stole the ball. Matthews missed a three against the shot clock, but Leonard retried the board with 90 seconds left. Aldridge settled down the offense, and was fouled in the paint, fouling out Asik. He hit one of two free throws. At the other end, Harden drove, but Matthews again stopped him, knocking the ball out off his leg. Aldridge again settled the offense down, scoring inside against the weakened Houston defense, then Batum responded with a monster block on Harden at the other end!
Down by three, Houston had another opportunity with 30 seconds left as the Blazer bench was on their feet in excitement. Morris finally missed a three, and in a wild scrum, Houston re-gained the ball, so the Blazers intentionally fouled Harden to gain possession with 1.7 seconds left. He hit the first, and needed to miss the second to attempt the rebound. However, Houston couldn't gain control, and the crowd headed home delirious after an inspiring win.
I just love seeing a team with guys who want the ball during crunch time. I remember last year nobody wanted to fill Roy’s void of “closing”. Now we’ve got just about everybody on the floor begging for the ball and executing when they need to. What a great change.
by JAnderson98VR
The next game is Sunday, at home against the Chicago Bulls. Stay tuned, Dave will have analysis later, then Ben will have a fun Media Row report, I'm sure.
-- Tim (blazer.timmay@gmail.com)
在这里讨论今晚在休斯顿火箭和波特兰赛道之间的倾斜！
tip-off：7:10 pm
如何观看
portland：康卡斯特Sportsnet Northwest，或<一个目标=“_空白”样式=“颜色：＃d80000;”href =“http://www.nba.com/blazers/stream-games-live”> Blazers Streaming 如果CSN对您不可用。
国家：联盟通过，<目标=“_空白”style =“颜色：＃d80000;”href =“https:///account.nba.com/leaguepass/broadband”>联赛通过宽带。
如何侦听
kex （1190 AM和102.3 FM; 1190KEX.COM没有空气游戏）
national： nba音频联赛通过
通常的规则适用：
1。请不要讨论非批准的游戏流媒体
2.没有咒骂或图片
3.请互相凉爽，不要“那个人”！
挂出来享受游戏！- tim（blazer.timmay@gmail.com）
View complete season game coverage
View previous Gameday Threads
戴夫戴克关于开拓者的状态的实时聊天Blazer'sEdge.com中，NBA，和一般。
世界我们喜欢它在这里混合起来，不时。Usually in this spot you'd find the preview of tonight's game pitting the Portland Trail Blazers against the Houston Rockets in the Rose Garden at 7:00 p.m., televised on CSNNW.
Well, here's what you need to know about the Rockets. They're 4-4 with all four wins coming against really bad NBA teams and 3 of 4 losses coming to really good ones. The Blazers are the lone variable in that loss category. The Blazers will also have to decide tonight whether they have the moxie and energy to play like a really good team and win or whether they're going to play like a really bad team and get beaten. Defense will be a key. The Rockets are barely scoring in losses...well, nobody besides James Harden anyway. Handle Harden ("handling" meaning "holding to 25 or less") and you probably win this game. Make Houston shoot honest shots and you probably win even if you don't handle Harden. Their shooting percentage is terrible. But if you let them free for easy shots they've got enough firepower to win. Defend, rebound, and this game belongs to the Blazers. Get lax and Houston gets a great chance at a revenge win.
In the preview you'd also see the link to the Jersey Contest Form for this game and the tickets link that says "Portland Trail Blazer tickets for all upcoming games are available from Blazer's Edge sponsor TiqIQ." and the link to The Dream Shake. So there you go.
Now onward to the different part. Instead of spending a couple hours on a more extended preview we're going to open this thread for a live chat about the Blazers, the NBA, and life in general. We haven't done this in a while and I haven't had time to do official mailbags, so this seems like a fine time to do it. Just about any question is fair game. I'll be here live until around 11:00 p.m. Pacific and check in throughout the day on Friday so fire away with your burning questions or comments about the league, the Blazers, or anything else you're curious about. I'll answer and other folks can chime in too!
--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)