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04.26.09 TRAIL BLAZERS (4) VS. ROCKETS (5)
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The Portland Trail Blazers (1-3) will leave Houston thinking about what could have been. Momentum changing turnovers late in the game and an inability to box out on the defensive boards nullified a fourth quarter Portland lead, with the end result being a 89-88 loss to the Rockets (3-1) at the Toyota Center Sunday night. The loss puts the Trail Blazers in a 3-1 hole in the best-of-seven series that now shifts back to Portland.
"We had some costly turnovers down the stretch," said Nate McMillan. I don’t recall all of the plays but we had some open looks that I thought we were a little bit hesitant to take. But I think we had a couple of turnovers down the stretch, that when a game is tight like that, and just the playoffs every possession is big and important and it’s a one possession game here and they had nine offensive boards in the fourth quarter and we had a few turnovers in the fourth quarter and you just can’t have that and try and win a ball game.”
Brandon Roy did the heavy lifting once again for the Trail Blazers, scoring 31 points while going 13-for-13 from the free-throw line in an exhausting 43 minutes of play.
“I tried to change my approach from Game 3," said Roy. "I felt like I was forcing it a little bit when I was getting into the paint and tonight I tried to take what they gave me. When I was in the paint, if they collapsed, I tried to kick it out to the guys and when they didn’t I just tried to make a good shot or just get a good read.”
Portland led 70-64 after three quarters and had their chances to pull out a victory in the final minute.
Houston led 87-85 when Ron Artest missed a baseline shot with 27 seconds left and Roy rebounded. Out of a timeout, Roy drove to the basket and was called for an offensive foul when he plowed into Chuck Hayes.
Aaron Brooks made one free throw with 10 seconds left, but missed the second one. Travis Outlaw then missed a 3-pointer, Brooks sank another free throw and Rudy Fernandez hit a 3 with 2.3 seconds left.
The Blazers couldn't get another shot after Kyle Lowry missed two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and lost in Houston for the 12th time in their last 13 visits.
The Blazers had a perfect night from the free-throw line in a playoff game for the first time since June 14, 1992, when they set an NBA finals record by going 21-for-21 in a Game 6 loss to Chicago.
Yao went 7-for-14 from the field, his best game since he scored 24 in Game 1, a 108-81 Rockets victory. Portland centers Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden each picked up two early fouls trying to guard Yao in Game 4, forcing Blazers coach Nate McMillan to go to a smaller lineup.
Roy and Yao both shot well in the first half after both defenses keyed on them in Game 3. Roy scored 15 points and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, while Yao went 3-for-6 from the field and had 11 points.
The Rockets outrebounded Portland 20-16 in the half and led 50-44 at the break.
Houston's offense went stagnant after Scola's layup put the Rockets up 58-51 with 6:43 left in the third quarter. Roy continued to draw Houston's defense with aggressive drives and either drew contact or found teammates for open shots.
Aldridge scored six points and Steve Blake sank a 3-pointer during the Blazers' 19-6 run. Roy scored 10 in the third quarter, going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
The Trail Blazers now face elimination from here on out in the series.
“It’s a tough one," said McMillan. "It’s a huge challenge on Tuesday to see what type of fight or how much fight we have left in us come Tuesday.”
“This is a game that we really played hard for and it was a game that we really needed," said Roy. "We need to keep our confidence up. We are going back home and we are going to try to extend the series.”
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NATE MCMILLAN
“We had some costly turnovers down the stretch. I didn’t really look at the film, I don’t recall all of the plays but we had some open looks that I thought we were a little bit hesitant to take but I think we had a couple of turnovers down the stretch, that when a game is tight like that, and just the playoffs every possession is big and important and it’s a one possession game here and they had nine offensive boards in the fourth quarter and we had a few turnovers in the fourth quarter and you just can’t have that and try and win a ball game.”
“We got in foul trouble. Once our two bigs got into foul trouble we found ourselves playing behind (Yao) and he was able to get some touches and able to score once Joel (Przybilla) and Greg (Oden) both picked up two quick fouls and they made a run at that time.”
“It’s a tough one. It’s a huge challenge on Tuesday to see what type of fight or how much fight we have left in us come Tuesday.”
BRANDON ROY
“This is a game that we really played hard for and it was a game that we really needed. It feels bad to go down 3-1.. We need to keep our confidence up. We are going back home and we are going to try to extend the series.”
“I tried to change my approach from game three. I felt like I was forcing it a little bit when I was getting into the paint and tonight I tried to take what they gave me. When I was in the paint, if they collapsed, I tried to kick it out to the guys and when they didn’t I just tried to make a good shot or just get a good read.”
LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE
“It was a tough loss. We were right there but they made the plays and we didn’t and they won the game.. We didn’t rebound and turn the ball over in the fourth quarter. Defensive rebounding was the key to the game. We did a good job on Yao but we didn’t hit the boards.”
“It’s playoff basketball and we have to go home and take care of home court. We’re positive and we have to stay focused.”
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