Dwight Howard, Jeremy Lin lead Rockets past Trail Blazers
Dwight Howard posted a double-double, scoring 22 points and registering 14 rebounds, to help the Houston Rockets defeat the Portland Trail Blazers, 108-98. The Rockets shot 43-91 (47.3%) from the field and dominated the offensive glass, pulling down 14 boards. The first round matchup now sits at 3-2.
Howard went 9-15 from the field, in a good performance. Other top contributors for Houston included James Harden with 17 points and seven assists, and Omer Asik with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Wesley Matthews had another strong performance for Portland despite the loss, scoring 27 points on 9-18 shooting, including 5-9 from behind the arc. Robin Lopez contributed 17 points and eight rebounds.
Not only did Houston win the battle on the backboards in Game 5, but they've also controlled the glass in the series. The Rockets have corralled 34.8% of available offensive rebounds as well as 73.0% of possible defensive rebounds.
Houston still trails in the series 3-2, and will have to beat Portland on the road in Game 6 of the first round.
