threes keep

Rockets close

RYAN WHITE

In Game 1 the Trail Blazers learned this wasn't going to be easy, and while the outcome was different Tuesday night, Game 2 of their first-round playoff series solidified Game 1's lesson.

The difference this time is that winning didn't come easy, which makes the lesson far, far more palatable and, anyway, it's the playoffs. It's not supposed to be.

Portland evened the series 1-1 Tuesday with a 107-103 win over the Houston Rockets in front of another sold-out Rose Garden crowd.

All they needed to pull off the win was a near-record franchise playoff performance from Brandon Roy and an excellent game from LaMarcus Aldridge. Foul trouble for Houston center Yao Ming and an unfortunate injury to Yao's backup, Dikembe Mutombo, also helped.

Roy scored 42 points, tying Clyde Drexler for the second-highest total in a playoff game in Blazers history. Roy scored every way imaginable and every time the Blazers badly needed a basket. Maybe he has figured out a thing or two about playing Houston and Ron Artest.

"I thought tonight he played a really good game," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "Artest is an unbelievable defender."

Yes he is.

And if it was not Roy scoring, it was Aldridge. He had 27 points and 12 rebounds.

To see just how well the two worked in tandem, one needed only to watch the second quarter.

The Blazers were able to withstand Houston's constant offensive push --the Rockets scored on 13 consecutive second-quarter possessions --because of Roy and Aldridge and a pretty spectacular string of plays.

First, Aldridge hit back-to-back jumpers. Then Roy had a three-point play and a dunk. Then Aldridge dropped in four consecutive jump shots on four consecutive possessions. Roy then made a floater over Yao and followed that with a fast-break layup.

By the time those two were done, they'd scored Portland's last 21 points of the second half --and the Blazers were still only up 53-51 at halftime.

Roy came out after halftime and scored 11 of Portland's first 13 points in the third quarter, and kept going.

What had to be somewhat frustrating for the Rockets was the fact that Yao, perfect from the field and the free-throw line on the way to 24 points in Game 1, had been held in check. He only took three first-half shots, scoring five points. Aaron Brooks, also a prime contributor to Game 1's debacle, was slowed to two points and two assists in the first half.

Once again, almost every Blazers basket looked like one of the most exhausting affairs in the history of the sport. Houston makes it look relatively easy, even without Yao's impact.

Artest got Houston started, scoring 15 in the first quarter and former Blazers player Von Wafer took it from there. Yeah, that Von Wafer.

Wafer finished with 21 points and was helped by Kyle Lowry's 10 points and 12 from Luis Scola. Because of their combined efforts, the game continued as one of those nip-and-tuck affairs that make for such nice entertainment --if you're not rooting for either side.

The Blazers never had any kind of breathing room until Roy hit a somewhat desperate three-point shot to make it 96-90 with 2:25 to play. From there they were able to push the lead out before Brooks started bringing it back with deep threes.

He finished with 23 points and five assists. Yao scored 11 in the game, grabbed eight rebounds and might have to play a whole bunch more minutes in this series because Mutombo's left knee buckled late in the first quarter as he tried to box out Greg Oden.

Mutumbo was diagnosed with a strained left knee, further evaluation pending. The way he collapsed, and the fact that he was taken off the court on a stretcher wasn't encouraging.

Aside from Roy and Aldridge, the only other Blazers to score in double figures were Rudy Fernandez, who had 11, and Steve Blake, who scored 10.

Ryan White: 503-412-7024;

ryanwhite@news.oregonian.com