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Game 6 Final: Blazers Beat Rockets on Lillard Three at Buzzer, Win Series 4-2

In one of the great moments in Trail Blazers history, Damian Lillard hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Houston Rockets and send the Blazers into the second round for the first time in 14 years!

Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

SEE VIDEO OF DAMIAN LILLARD'S BUZZER-BEATING THREE HERE

The Blazers were led by LaMarcus Aldridge's 30 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists, and Damian Lillard's 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and one franchise-changing three-pointer at the buzzer.

Portland jumped out to a 7-0 lead to force a Rockets timeout. They responded quickly with two steals to easily tie the game. Harden hit back to back three-pointers to put Houston ahead, and Howard pushed the lead to 4, and another three-pointer made it 5. Yet another three-pointer made it an 8 point lead, as the Rockets simply couldn't miss. Then they started walking to the free throw line, and the lead reached 10. But Portland's defense tightened, and a Lillard four-point play cut the deficit to 2. Howard nailed a dunk, and as the clock ran down, Lillard stepped back for three. Swish. He scored the last night points for Portland, who cut the 10 point deficit to 1 by the end of the first quarter.

Portland tied the game in the opening minutes of the second quarter, which led to the teams swapping the lead. But at the halfway point, the Rockets got hot from three again, and took a 6 point lead. Behind Aldridge, Portland quickly cut it to 1, and he drew the third foul on both Omer Asik and Dwight Howard on back to back plays. They wasted possessions, but Portland took the lead on a steal and Matthews layup. Lillard got open for three, swish and a 4 point lead. But Wesley missed two open three-pointers, then a layup, then committed a foul and Houston easily scored 8 straight points lead by 4.A late Mo Williams jumper kept the game within 2 at halftime.

After halftime, a number of fans surprisingly slowly and lazily got back to their seats. They arrived to a quick run from the Rockets to take control. Portland called timeout, down 8 yet again. Harden was hot, hitting all over the court and getting to the line to keep the Rockets ahead. Portland stayed close but blew chances to get even. Houston still led by 4 with four minutes left in the third. A Lillard three finally cut the lead to 1, and the teams played to a standstill down the stretch. Houston led by 1 heading into the deciding quarter.

A Nicolas Batum three gave the Blazers the lead to open the quarter, and a monster Robinson dunk pushed their lead to 4. But Portland came up empty, and Howard tied the game inside with 7 minutes left. The teams played mismatches over the next few minutes, and Lopez' FT's gave Portland a 4 point lead with five minutes left. But the Rockets wouldn't go away quietly, as Howard hit two FT's to tie the game with just over 3 minutes left, when Howard's layup gave them the lead. Lopez had a great tip-in to give the Blazers the lead with 2:10 left, but a lucky ball went to Howard for three-point play that gave Houston control again. Matthews missed again, and Howard went back to the line. He missed both, but Portland just couldn't hit anything. Houston still led by 2 with 48 seconds left.

Out of a timeout, Batum got a mismatch on Howard, and took a fadeaway. Swish. Tie game with 40 seconds left. The Rockets missed, but Lillard was out of bounds, so the Rockets got a second shot with 28 seconds left and a fresh shot clock. They missed, but the ball fell into Chandler Parsons' hands right under the hoop, and a layup gave the Rockets the lead with 0.9 seconds left, as the crowd groaned.

Portland had one last shot. They went to Damian Lillard, who took the "Brandon Roy shot".

Swish. The crowd explodes.

In one of the great moments in Trail Blazer history, Damian Lillard sends the Blazers to the second round!

[Courtesy YouTube User Watchnba201415]

Box Score

What's Next

A few days off! The Mavericks won Game 6 against San Antonio, so they play Sunday in the home of the Alamo. The winner of that series plays Portland next week for a trip to the Conference Finals.

Gameday Thread Comments of the Night

# Recs Commenter Comment Link
60 Kaanyr Vhok [no title]
43 Blazing Chargers THAT'S HOW YOU CLOSE A SERIES OUT!!!!
40 MiledAnimal [no title]
38 thankyouforblaze DAMIAN BLIZZARD FOR THE WIN.
37 LadyAlannya I just want to come over and say congrats that shot's going to be legendary.
36 thankyouforblaze aaaaaand REC PARTY Y'ALL!!!
33 illumined The Rockets were INTERCEPTED!
32 stormtown I'm not a lurker I just rec a lot.
32 RoodiePhirnandizz [no title]
32 Reasonable Approximation HERE COMES THE GREEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
31 Timmay! [no title]
30 Mortimer LAMARCUS YOU WERE BRILLIANT THIS SERIES
30 Threelittlebears Wow
29 T Darkstar I LOVE THIS TEAM!
29 bustabucket DAME LILLARD IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!
29 djrick RIP CITY > CRUTCH PITY
29 bustabucket SECOND ROUND BABY!!!!!!!!
29 Timmay! Congrats everyone.
28 ParticleAccelerator This one's for you, Doc.
28 yoshifan HEY GUYS! HERE'S THE GIF OF LILLARD'S GAME WINNER!
27 mister bunny WE'RE GOING TO SIZZLER!
27 thankyouforblaze Bye Bye Dwight.
27 SEAheartPDX LILLARD IS LOVE, LILLARD IS LIFE!!!
26 dpnim BALL DONT LIE!
26 Reasonable Approximation PERFECT
26 xedubx Justice is served, after the ref screw job.
26 TuneSquad24 holy crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
25 thankyouforblaze GET READY TO LOSE, SPURS OR MAVS!!!
25 Calgus EVERYTIME WE WIN
24 Tyler Durrden THE LEGEND, DAMIAN LILLARD
24 mora2 Brandon Roy is smiling at that clutch three
24 Woodsidj [no title]
24 joanna592 That buzzer beater took away my ability to type and speak
24 tp90 THE REC PARTY TO REC ALL REC PARTIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
23 illumined AND THE ROCKETS ARE GOING DOWN!!!!!!!!!
23 twinsbrewer what happened?
23 twinsbrewer My neighbors knocked on my door and asked if they should call for help
22 Kaanyr Vhok Actually he didnt even catch and shoot the ball he just told the ball he was Damian Lillard it it went in the basket.
22 thankyouforblaze [no title]
22 yoshifan Blazers win with a clutch three pointer by Damian Lillard
22 steven.worsley What else can I say but
22 Batumshakalaka Unbelievable.
22 phil.k This guy has liquid nitrogen in his veins
21 The Real Bill Eyraeb Ates pew! pew! pew!
21 Chuck Norriss Somebody pinch me.
21 T Darkstar I might not go that far, but this was a Series winner, so I think Lillard wins.
21 Sackett The tears are flowing
21 bustabucket SUCK IT houston and all your whining and flopping!!! WE OVERCAME!!!
21 PhilNaessensShow Yes!!!!
20 Mortimer WE CAN'T BE STOPPED.
20 rise_stand_resist Lillard hit a three with point nine left to win
20 Jack P CONGRATS GUYS
20 Blazing Chargers Here we come Spurs or Mavs!!!
20 Eat Politicians Amazing game
20 Matt Denham It is Oakland
20 conspirator5 And YOU get a green comment...
19 twinsbrewer (I wuz kidding!)
19 KingWes @&$&!?&;&(&?@:&3&(#%~*}+}£I
19 FlyByKnight Stat I dug up just for you guys.
19 DP0 I knew Dr. Jack wouldn't let us lose this one.
19 ferrariford2 I AM A PROPHET:
19 KoldStone Tha King Bulls fan here
19 Mortimer BRING 'EM BOTH ON
18 SEAheartPDX 10/5 on the Horry Scale, no question!
18 dpnim Im wrecking this party!
18 Mortimer ICE THE FLAMES OF THE ROCKETS
18 thankyouforblaze [no title]
18 Timmay! [no title]
18 blindnil I'm at home alone
18 T Darkstar Thank you.
18 BlazerNation Damian isn't human
18 Reasonable Approximation I only liked the part where we won.
17 Baysports4life GSW FAN HERE
17 NCBlazerfan Lillard. That was a moment of pure transcendence.
17 Matt Denham Blazers got the ball with .9 left. Lillard's shot was between .1 and the buzzer.
17 allthebacon They should, someone just killed the Rockets!
17 gumbypuppy rec so hard
17 Idog1976 He's from the para-elemental plane
17 Contender [no title]
17 BlazerNation Lamarcus and Damian are as big as any two players in the NBA
17 NWildside THE KING IN THE NORTHWEST!
17 stillatwork Sometimes all you need is one.
16 annthefan [no title]
16 Tyler Durrden THAT WAS THE BEST PART!!!!
16 phil.k Floprefbait city*
16 John Blutarsky Guarantee most fans at the game are pissed they didn't get their chalupa tonight
16 Reasonable Approximation [no title]
16 RoodiePhirnandizz are subsiding
16 pixelpusher Ice cold and made of gold.
16 Idog1976 ABSOLUTELY
16 Tyler Durrden so much sweeter considering that horrible call that gave the Rockets the ball back, Damian's just like "you're gonna do us like that in our house?"
16 Idog1976 Even more
16 T Darkstar SERIES WINNING SHOT Y'ALL
16 RipCityLifer! I haven't cried in years. Thanks Blazers!
16 you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows Ummm...
15 erastus25 No need to compare.
15 yoshifan Warrior fan here
15 TheresTheDagger From a Rockets fan
15 Nort0n Nothing to joke about - it's a fatal condition
15 DarrentheBlazerHawk PINCH ME! I MUST BE DREAMING!
15 Corwin71 How great was Dame shouting Rip City at the end?
15 plecky There's more Clutch in Lillard...
15 Tyler Durrden this might be THE best blazers shot of all time
15 illumined I'm going to post that gif everytime we win a series!
15 RoodiePhirnandizz Hyperventilation and tears
15 Mortimer I dinnae cry when me pappy died but I cry now!
15 thankyouforblaze Greatest. Cartoon. Ever.
15 fanoftrc I knew I wasn't going to sleep tonight
15 tp90 I have but one rec to give, oh great one!
15 axel360 MY HEART RATE IS FINALY DROPPING TO A SEMI-HEALTHY LEVEL
15 The Real Bill Eyraeb Ates Amazing, just amazing. I was a minor last time we were in the second round!
15 KVin2 THOMAS ROBINSON!!!!
15 illumined The refs at the end tried so hard to make Houston win on that last possession
14 The_Machine I believe I can speak for all of us on Silver Screen and Roll.
14 Tyler Durrden THAT WAS THE BEST PART!!!!
14 T Darkstar My wife said the Blazers have made my hair grayer.
14 Idog1976 OMG THIS ^^^^^
14 gumbypuppy "Hit the road, Jack
14 Mortimer Both shots are amazing but as this got a huge monkey off our backs and wins a series, this is legendary
14 MiledAnimal HIGHER!!! FARTHER!!! WHEEEE!!!
14 steven.worsley "I cri evry tiem"
14 T Darkstar That will live forever.
14 mister bunny I know, people are a little too literal in their elation.
14 twinsbrewer Anybody think TV viewers got their time's worth watching this series?
14 lightskin350 D Lillard a.k.a.
14 RoodiePhirnandizz Just unbelievable
14 occassia Well I guess NOT!
14 Idog1976 I've never doubted this guy
14 Tyler Durrden he's a Lectroid from Planet Ten!
13 Norsktroll I'll never wash my lucky long sleeved shirt again
13 PDXLink Damian Lillard earning that Adidas contract!
13 Mortimer Hahahaha yesssss
13 twinsbrewer heh-heh!
13 Michael 2k Good win
13 Mortimer My feed stopped as the game was finished
13 Mortimer Imagine being in the arena for that!!!
13 xedubx Yeah, I am in a weird Happy and Mad as Heck phase..Thank God (or the Nets) for Dame!
13 Mortimer Yeah it was in the air by about then
13 Variant Kings fan living vicariously....
13 TonyBalony Too bad for Silver.. You can't stop the Goonies
13 Reasonable Approximation pure class!
13 heybabydrinkyourmilk CLINCH
13 Bubbs Wow, just instant legend status.
13 The_Machine amen
13 Matt Denham Laugh while you can, monkey boys!
13 lightskin350 YES YES YES YES YES YRS YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
13 Eat Politicians 2ND Round!
13 Blazing Chargers It's been a long 14 years. Thank you Blazers. You have made my life complete.
13 Bib Fortuna Brandon Roy's shot has NOTHING on this
13 Sackett Rec Party- Make them all green
12 thankyouforblaze THANKS NYETS!
12 colbymac [no title]
12 thankyouforblaze THANKS!
12 erastus25 Has there ever been another series winning buzzer beater in NBA history?
12 Berkeley A definite contributor
12 gumbypuppy he gets all the appendages
12 dpnim That was so reminescent of that shot. OMG
12 NCBlazerfan Lillard the Legend.
12 Mortimer Awwww even if serious it's no time for that!
12 erastus25 [no title]
12 Eat Politicians pew pew pew!
12 mora2 Adam Silver is mad, no game seven!
12 Sackett Whos got a GIF of THE SHOT!
12 Mortimer It's exhilirating
12 simonswiss Dame is my hero!!
12 Eat Politicians OKAY!
12 Badalona Baddie So glad it's over right now. Thank you, Dame.
12 Timmay! We earned a moment like that after years of pain.
12 Norsktroll Nice recognition by Batum that Lillard was coming away from his man. Better shot!
12 Mortimer GOOOODBYE ROCKETS!
12 CroRupt clutch city?
12 KVin2 No it wasn't.
12 Morgoth IM SO HAPPY
12 mora2 So flippin happy the beard and cry baby are out!
12 Corvid Shaking
12 Idog1976 He is the
12 Mortimer Hahahahaha
11 tp90 NEVER WEAR PANTS AGAIN!!!
11 NCBlazerfan This SERIES made my hair grayer.
11 simonswiss On Craig Ehlo..
11 Garden of ODEN Im reccing hard
11 philantre Don't forget to give the Rockets those rally towels to wipe out their tears.
11 twinsbrewer Eating Harden's liver with lava beans and chianti
11 Possum Aloysius Jenkins III what a shot!!!!
11 Eat Politicians rec! rec! rec!
11 Bradley James McEachern Techically I just listened to one of the greatest moments in Blazer history as the TV wasn't on for a second
11 Mortimer Thank you our friend!!!
11 tp90 So Lillard....
11 KVin2 I've just been evicted.
11 RenoBlazerFan HOLY POOP!!!!!!!!!
11 Matt Denham Ah, sorry.
11 steven.worsley Winception
11 BlazersDiaspora I turned this green!!!! Rec Party
11 Matt Denham We deserve the second coming of Stockton anyway. :-)
11 colbymac [no title]
11 Mortimer w0rd
11 bustabucket "RIIIIIIIP CIIIIIIIIITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" -----------DAME LILLARD!!!!
11 poorwebguy that was just sick
11 twinsbrewer Jordan had a few I think
11 ParticleAccelerator +1. That was a monumental frak-up. But Lillard rendered it moot!
11 bustabucket The dwightmare is alive!!!
11 KVin2 No. What a terrible show.
11 jnewhouse just don't go troll now. Got to be rough for them.
11 We-B-Dunkin SWEEEEET!
11 cokeandrumandfun I love you guys! Whoooooo!!!!
11 Badalona Baddie So glad it's over right now. Thank you, Dame.
11 Berkeley That hit the spot !
11 Chuck Norriss THAT WAS NASTY