After sixteen failures, the 17th is the right one! For the first time this season, the Blazers won away against a team from the Western Conference. Coming out of a stormy defeat, down to the wire, against the Thunder, Chauncey Billups' players won 137-131 after overtime in Houston.
We can call it a miracle since the Blazers snatched overtime on a basket at the buzzer from Jerami Grant. The Rockets thought they had done the hardest part with two shots from Aaron Holiday to take a three-point lead with one second remaining (124-121). At the timeout, Ime Udoka puts Dillon Brooks back in play, but the Canadian is stuck on Anfernee Simons, and he watches, helplessly, this 3-point basket, off balance, and with the board, from Grant. Extension !
Author of the pass for Grant, Malcolm Brogdon will be the big man in the extension. It's him who starts the hostilities with a big 3-pointer after a nice circulation of the ball, then he finds Grant again, and scores on a caviar from Deandre Ayton. Involved in the first seven points of overtime, Brogdon widens a small gap (131-126). But behind, the Blazers' hands are shaking, and he is the first when he loses a ball in the Rockets' racket.
Houston takes the opportunity to pick up the score with Fred VanVleet. With 50 seconds remaining, the Blazers still lead by four points (133-129). The ball goes to Brogdon who misses a first shot, but gets his rebound. The Rockets don't make a mistake as the clock runs down, and at the end of the possession, Brogdon goes for a layup. His shot hits the circle, but Ayton followed, and he puts the lid on to validate the victory for the Blazers (137-131).
What you must remember
– A first for the Blazers. For the first time this season, the Blazers won against a Western franchise. The shot was very close in OKC, but this time, it was the right one. Simons' teammates have three wins in five matches.
– The Rockets let go. Fifth defeat in six matches for the Rockets who are slipping in the standings. With a result now largely negative (20v-23d), they find themselves 11th, and virtually eliminated from the “play-in”.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
