HOUSTON — Kyle Lowry scored a season-high 33 points, Kevin Martin hit four free throws in the final seconds of overtime and the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 107-105 on Saturday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge’s basket with 23 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime tie at 97. Portland lost its third straight game.
Martin, who finished with 28 points, scored Houston’s final six points in overtime with a layup and four free throws over the final 32 seconds of the extra period.
Nicolas Batum had a season-high 29 points to lead Portland. Aldridge had 22 points and 10 rebounds.
After trailing much of the game, Portland rallied from an 84-76 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to take a 91-90 lead on three free throws by Jamal Crawford, who was fouled by Martin while attempting a 3-pointer with 6:20 to play.
Gerald Wallace added a layup for a 93-90 lead but the Rockets weren’t finished. Lowry’s 3-point basket with 31 seconds left gave Houston a 97-95 lead and then Aldridge’s jumper tied it with 23 seconds remaining, sending the game into overtime.
Houston fought hard for a 58-53 halftime lead after leading by 14 points in the second quarter.
Lowry bailed them out with hot shooting late in the third period for an 84-76 lead going into the final quarter. Lowry had 11 points in the third.
Houston had to deal with foul trouble beginning in the second quarter when starters Luis Scola and Samuel Dalembert each picked up their third fouls and the each got their fourth early in the third.
The Rockets led 50-36 with 3:36 to go in the second quarter but had to withstand a 3-point shooting performance by Batum to keep their five-point halftime lead.
Batum hit five of his six first half 3-point baskets, including three in the final three minutes of the second quarter to keep the Trail Blazers within striking distance. He finished hitting 6 of 7 from 3-point range.
Houston used an 11-0 spurt to take the early first quarter lead and held a 27-21 lead at the end of the quarter. Lowry had 11 points and Dalembert grabbed seven rebounds to help the Rockets.
NOTES: The Rockets have built double digit leads in each of their last five games. They are 3-2 in those games. … Houston has won 21 of the last 29 games against Portland. The Trail Blazers are 2-13 in their last 15 games at Toyota Center. … Marcus Camby left Portland’s last game with a left ankle sprain. X-rays were negative but he sat out Saturday night’s game. Camby leads the Trail Blazers with 8.2 rebounds and 1.27 blocked shots per game.
