LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers ventured into Houston last night to battle the Rockets for the first game of their seven game series. Aldridge played like a man on fire, finishing with 46 points, 18 rebounds, and ultimately tying the Rockets in the final seconds to send the game into overtime. Aldridge eventually fouled out in overtime and left the Trail Blazers fate in the hands of Damien Lillard. Lillard handled business, finishing with 31 points and shooting the go-ahead free throws to propel the Trail Blazers to victory in the closing moments of overtime. When Lillard was asked about Aldridge fouling out he said, “When he went out like that I felt like our team had to have L.A.’s back and come through for him.” The Trail Blazers did just that, beating the Rockets 122-120 to take Game 1 on the road.
The Rockets hope to rebound in Game 2. Rockets’ big man, Dwight Howard, showed that he is ready to dominate this post season by recording 27 points and 15 rebounds. James Harden also put numbers on the board with 27 points last night. After the game Harden expressed that he wasn’t satisfied with his performance, “I didn’t shoot the ball well… I’ve got to shake it off, but it’ll be better in Game 2. Tune into Game 2 this Wednesday at 9:30 (EST) on TNT. In case you missed the game check out the highlights of LaMarcus Aldridge’s record breaking night in the video below.
