Roy leads Blazers over shorthanded Rockets

Apr 7, 2007, 3:55 GMT

Houston, TX - Brandon Roy tallied a game-best 24 points, as the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Houston Rockets for an 85-78 victory at the Toyota Center.

Jarrett Jack added 23 points on 7-of-9 field goals for Portland, which won its second straight outing following a four-game slide. Jamaal Magloire turned in 12 points and 14 rebounds, as the Blazers kicked off their three-game road trip on a high note.

Luther Head paced the depleted Rockets in defeat with 19 points. Juwan Howard contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Shane Battier finished with 12 points. Kirk Snyder chipped in with 10 points for Houston, which dropped its third game in a row.

'They played good,' said Head. 'I thought we let ourselves down on defense a couple of times. Those guys are good, Brandon Roy is a good player, they did their job and they did what they were supposed to do, but for us, I think we let ourselves down on the defensive end.'

The Rockets, who are the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoff race, played without stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Yao, the team's top scorer (24.7 ppg) and rebounder (9.7 rpg) on the season, missed the game with a sore lower back. McGrady, who is averaging 24.0 ppg and a team-high 6.3 apg, was also out of the lineup with back problems.

The Trail Blazers led 23-14 at the end of the first quarter, thanks in large part to a 17-4 run to start the game.

A hook shot by Magloire with 2:57 left in the second period gave Portland a 37-25 lead, but Houston responded with an 8-1 run to close the gap to five points. Roy, however, nailed a shot with 14.2 seconds left to play in the period to push the Trail Blazers' lead to 40-33 at the break.

Portland made 9-of-18 field goal attempts in the third period, as it maintained its seven point lead, 61-54, heading into the final quarter.

Trailing 68-61 at the 7:31 mark of the fourth frame, the Rockets used an 11-3 spurt to take their first lead since holding a 4-2 advantage. After the teams traded baskets, Jack hit a runner and then a three to give the Trail Blazers a 78-74 lead with 1:31 left, and they would hang on for the victory.

Game Notes

With the win, Portland snapped a six-game losing streak in Houston...The Trail Blazers now lead the season series 2-1...The Rockets made just 4-of-18 three pointers on the night...Houston fell to 26-13 at home...Chuck Hayes grabbed 12 boards for the Rockets.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

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