HOUSTON — Luis Scola scored 19 points, Houston’s defense bottled up Brandon Roy, and the Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 86-83 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Shane Battier added 16 points and the Rockets got away with a quiet night from Yao Ming to beat the Blazers for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings in Houston. Game 4 is Sunday at the Toyota Center.
Roy, who scored 42 points in Portland’s 107-103 win in Game 2, had 19 points, but went 6-for-18 from the field. Steve Blake scored 16 and had 10 assists, and Rudy Fernandez sank five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for the Blazers, who trailed by 17 in the second half before rallying in the final quarter.
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