Trail Blazers at Rockets
The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t advanced out of the first round since 2000 and are one victory away from ending the drought when they visit the Houston Rockets in Wednesday’s Game 5 of the first-round Western Conference series. Portland has experienced six consecutive opening-round exits but holds a 3-1 lead and started off the series impressively by winning the first two games in Houston. Three of the first four games have been decided in overtime.
Rockets center Dwight Howard was highly disappointed after Sunday’s 123-120 overtime loss in Portland as some untimely mistakes again hurt Houston. “It’s like we’re giving games away, but we’ve got to stay positive right now,” Howard told reporters. “We can’t hang our heads and we can’t quit. We’re not going to allow negativity to seep into our minds.” Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge has been the star of the series by averaging 35.3 points and 11.5 rebounds and is the first player to reach 140 or more points and 45 rebounds in his team’s first four playoff games since former Houston great Hakeem Olajuwon in 1988.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, KGW (Portland), CSN Houston
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS: While Aldridge and standout point guard Damian Lillard have keyed Portland’s rise, unsung forward Nicolas Batum has stepped up with back-to-back big outings. Batum is averaging 25.5 points over the past two games after contributing an average of 10 over the first two contests. “He’s being aggressive going to the basket,” Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts told reporters. “The last two games – the fourth quarter and overtime have been with small lineups – which open up driving opportunities and getting to the rim. When you play a spacing lineup, those opportunities are going to be there. Nic provides us with a lot of things.”
ABOUT THE ROCKETS: The fact that Houston has wilted in some pressure situations during the series has brought up the subject of the team being pretty youthful. Players like Howard and forward Chandler Parsons aren’t willing to use that as an excuse. “Everybody starts from scratch (in the playoffs) and this is the first year we’ve been playing together but that doesn’t matter,” Parsons told reporters. “We’re a good team with the potential to be great, we’re just not reaching our ceiling, we’re not reaching our potential because of these little letdowns that we keep having. That’s definitely not an excuse. We should be better than this.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Houston G James Harden is averaging 27.5 points in the series but is making just 35 percent of his field-goal attempts.
2. Lillard was 5-of-7 from 3-point range in Game 4 and has made 14 in the series.
3. Rockets PG Patrick Beverley (knee) missed Tuesday’s practice with an illness but is expected to play.