PORTLAND — Nicolas Batum had 35 points, rookie Damian Lillard sparked a late comeback and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 119-117 in overtime Friday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 points for Portland, including a tiebreaking free throw and key turnaround jumper in the extra session. Lillard, a first-round pick out of Weber State, scored 16 of the Trail Blazers’ last 21 points and finished with a career-high 27.
James Harden had 29 points for the Rockets, who led by as many as 15 before falling behind in the final quarter. Chandler Parsons added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Portland won its second consecutive game while narrowly avoiding a fourth straight loss at the Rose Garden.
Lillard made a tying 3-pointer with 3:25 left in overtime. After Omer Asik hit two foul shots for Houston, Lillard connected on another jumper to tie it at 116.
Houston committed a turnover on the other end and Aldridge went 1 for 2 at the line before making a turnaround jumper to extend the lead to 119-116 with 36.8 seconds left.
Harden made a free throw with 1.4 seconds to go but Houston couldn’t corral his intentional miss, and the game ended.
Houston was kicking off a three-game West Coast road swing after going 2-1 at home despite some off-the-court distractions.
Coach Kevin McHale has been away since Saturday dealing with a personal matter. Royce White, a first-round draft pick, is feuding with the Rockets over how they have accommodated his anxiety disorder, and is not with the team either.
The Blazers, who snapped a four-game losing streak with a 103-86 victory over Sacramento on Wednesday, leaned heavily on Batum’s outside shooting and Aldridge under the basket until Lillard took over with 4:29 left in regulation and Portland trailing 103-98. The 6-foot-3 point guard hit six free throws, a 3-pointer, a driving layup and then put the Blazers up 111-108 with a jumper after faking Jeremy Lin up in the air.
Marcus Morris then nailed a 3-pointer for Houston with 10 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
Houston led 51-35 in the first half and was up 13 in third quarter. But Batum scored 14 points in the period, including nine in a row.
Also on Friday:
Grizzlies 105
Knicks 95
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Zach Randolph had 20 points and 15 rebounds, Marc Gasol added 24 points and Memphis handed New York its first loss of the season.
Lakers 114
Suns 102
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant had 31 points, Metta World Peace hit five 3-pointers while scoring 22 points, and Los Angeles beat Phoenix.
Thunder 110
Hornets 95
NEW ORLEANS — Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin each scored 27 points, and Oklahoma City rolled to its sixth victory in seven games.
Warriors 106
Timberwolves 98
MINNEAPOLIS — David Lee had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Golden State dominated inside in the victory.
Hawks 112
Kings 96
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kyle Korver scored 22 points, reserve Lou Williams had 21 and Atlanta earned its ninth consecutive win against the Kings.
76ers 99
Jazz 93
PHILADELPHIA — Jrue Holiday scored 26 points to help the Sixers snap a three-game home losing streak.
Pacers 103
Mavericks 83
INDIANAPOLIS — David West and George Hill each scored 15 points, and Indiana improved to 3-1 at home.
Magic 110
Pistons 106
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — J.J. Redick scored 23 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 42.8 seconds left, and Orlando got the win on the road.
