Gameday Thread: Blazers vs. Rockets, Game 1 (Third)

Early Summary

Forty seconds into the game, the refs immediately made their presence known with an off-ball foul on Robin Lopez. But the Blazers played hard defense early, and exploited mismatches at the offensive end to take a 7 point lead. As Houston closed the gap, the first members of the Blazer bench entered the game. Houston focused on driving the ball or shooting the three, but struggled when trying to pound the ball inside. Thomas Robinson brought energy, but the out-of-control type, bringing both good and bad. But when Lillard swished a three-pointer, the Blazer lead reached 8. They retained a 7 point lead at the end of the quarter.

The Second quarter opened with Batum bouncing a ball off his foot, and a Rockets run. A weird offensive rebound led to a dunk and a tie game, and a timeout from Blazers' Head Coach Terry Stotts. It didn't help, as Chandler Parsons sparked a run while the Blazers couldn't get started at the offensive end. They took another timeout, after being outscored 20-6 in the second quarter and suddenly down 7. Eventually, Houston completed a 13-0 run to take an 11 point lead. The starters took care of business, tying the game while the Houston faithful chanted "Refs you suck!" due to the free throw disparity in Portland's favor. A last-second Harden three-pointer gave the Rockets a 1 point lead at halftime.

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Welcome to the Gameday Open Thread at Blazer’s Edge! This is a place to hang out and enjoy tonight’s festivities with your fellow fans. Treat it as if you’re watching a game at the local watering hole, but hopefully without the language. Expect some disagreements, and a fair amount of changing emotions. But we'll get through it together.

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Injuries: Both teams report no injuries.

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The usual Gameday Thread rules apply:

1. No swearing
2. No pictures
3. No discussion of unlicensed Internet streaming
4. Be cool to each other!

Hang out and enjoy the game! -- Tim