Houston, April 24 (IANS): The Houston Rockets lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 105-112 at the Toyota Center, their second loss in the first-round NBA playoff series.
The Rockets badly wanted to claim a victory at their home court Wednesday night following Sunday's narrow defeat, reports Xinhua.
They did start the game aggressively this time, outscoring Portland 31-23 in the first quarter. That momentum didn't last long, however. The Blazers made a quick comeback in the second quarter and tied the score 53-53 at halftime.
Portland held onto the advantage through the third and the fourth quarter.
LaMarcus Aldridge followed his franchise-record 46 points Sunday with 43 Wednesday, making 18 of 28 shots. He is the first player with 80 points and 15 rebounds in the first two games of a playoff series since Michael Jordan in 1997.
Dwight Howard grabbed 32 points and 14 rebounds for Houston. Harden added 18 points, Pat Beverley chipped in 14, and Chandler Parsons had 15 points.
With the loss, the Rockets head to Portland in an 0-2 deficit for two series games Friday and Sunday before returning to their home court next week.