The Hawks were led by Gustavo Ayons 18 points and 10 reboun

HOUSTON -- Dwight Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Jeremy Lin came off the bench to score 21 points and help the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-98 on Wednesday night to avoid elimination. The Trail Blazers lead the first-round series 3-2 entering Game 6 on Friday in Portland. A basket by Damian Lillard got the Trail Blazers within two points before James Harden stepped back and swished a 3-pointer to make it 103-98 with about three minutes left. The shot brought the crowd, which was clad almost completely in red shirts emblazoned with the words "Clutch City" on them, to its feet. That started an 8-0 Houston run to close it out. Harden finished with 17 points and seven assists. Houston finally slowed down LaMarcus Aldridge, limiting him to eight points, after he averaged 35.3 points in the first four games. Wesley Matthews led the Blazers with 27 points and Lillard added 26. Lin got extended minutes on Wednesday night with Pat Beverley dealing with an illness. Beverley had five points in 21 minutes. The Rockets led by as many as 17 points in the first half. Portland cut it to one point three times in the fourth quarter, but never went back on top. Terrence Jones added a basket for Houston after the big 3 by Harden before Howard got after Aldridge on the other end. He blocked his short jump shot, sending it out of bounds. Portland got the ball back and Aldridge got the ball again, but he badly missed a shot with Howard in his face as the shot clock expired, leaving Aldridge yelling for a foul. The Rockets were up by nine early in the fourth quarter after four quick points from Lin before Portland used an 8-0 run, with the first four points from Nicolas Batum, to cut the lead to 91-90 with 7:39 remaining. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Matthews cut Houstons lead to 62-58 early in the third quarter. He added 12 more points in the period to finish with 18 of Portlands 29 points. Howard and Lin carried the Rockets in the third, combining for 18 points. Howard had 10 and Lin scored the rest, including a long two as the shot clock expired with Lillard right in his face. Matthews, who was 4 for 5 from long range in the third, made two 3-pointers within 20 seconds late in the quarter to cut Houstons lead to two points. But Lin finished off the quarter with a three-point play to make it 82-77 entering the fourth. Robin Lopez received a flagrant-1 foul when he fouled Howard in the air while fighting for a rebound and pulled him to the ground by the shoulders on the way down. Howard made one of two free throws to stretch Houstons lead to 74-68 with three minutes left in the quarter. Houston led by three after one and used an 11-0 run to start the second quarter and go up 41-27. Jones scored the first four points in that span and rookie Troy Daniels capped it with a 3-pointer. The Trail Blazers had six turnovers while the Rockets built the lead and didnt score until a pair of free throws by Aldridge with about nine minutes left until halftime. Howard picked up his third foul soon after that and went to the bench. Portland scored the next five points to get within seven but the Rockets used a 10-0 spurt to push the lead to 51-34. Lin had a reverse layup and a 3-pointer during that run. The Trail Blazers ended the first half with a 14-5 run, with eight points from Lillard, to cut the lead to 56-48 at halftime. Aldridge had just six points at halftime after sitting out about half of the first quarter after getting his second foul. NOTES: The Trail Blazers wore patches on their jerseys to honour Hall of Famer Jack Ramsay, who died on Monday at 89. Ramsay coached the team to an NBA title in 1977. The plaid patch has the words "Dr. Jack" and a "77" to honour the championship team. The Blazers will wear the patch for the remainder of the post-season. ... Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon watched from a courtside seat. ... Chandler Parsons added 20 points for Houston. NMD Shoes Wholesale . The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday. NMD_R1 Shoes Australia . -- Albert Pujols is thrilled to have a reason to forget about his first two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/ultra-boost-shoes-australia/4.html . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City. NMD CS1 Australia . -- Canadian ski cross star Marielle Thompson accomplished two goals in one race Saturday. Ultra Boost Australia Online . Diego Costa headed in Gabis corner seven minutes from time to secure victory ahead of the return match in Madrid on March 11. "We know that at Madrid it will be another game, which will also be important and very difficult," Milan coach Clarence Seedorf said.TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan is playing the part of the all-star perfectly. In Torontos last game before the NBA all-star break this weekend, DeRozan, who was named a reserve on the Eastern Conference team, scored 31 points -- including 14 in the third quarter -- to lead the Raptors over the Atlanta Hawks 104-83 on Wednesday. Raptors coach Dwane Casey says hes been pleased with his all-stars constant improvements. "Hes done a great job every year of getting better," Casey said. "I know he wont (get complacent), because hes such a conscientious (guy). Hes a basketball junkie. I dont see him taking time off this summer just because he made the all-star team." Kyle Lowry delivered another solid performance, scoring 16 points and 13 assists. While he wont be heading to New Orleans for all-star festivities, Lowrys strong play this season has helped Toronto go into the break leading the Atlantic Division for just the second time in franchise history. "Kyles an all-star on and off the court in my opinion," DeRozan said. "My opinion, he should be in New Orleans as well. We wouldnt be where we are today if it wasnt for Kyle. I wouldnt be where I am now if it wasnt for Kyle, to be honest. We all understand that." Patrick Patterson started for the Raptors in place of Amir Johnson, who missed his second consecutive game to rest a sore right ankle, and scored 14 points in his second start of the season. While the Raptors got off to a slow start on Wednesday night, they found themselves trailing by only five after the first quarter, despite shooting just 29 per cent from the floor. They woke up in the second quarter and took a 45-44 lead into the half. Toronto had a strong start to the third quarter, opening on a 7-0 run to take an eight-point lead and force the Hawks into a timeout. The Raptors didnt look back from there. Thanks to a brilliant quarter from DeRozan, the Raptors stretched their lead to double figures midway through the third and outscored the Hawks 33-21 to take a 78-65 advantage into the fourth quarter. After scoringg 11 points in the first half, DeRozan exploded for 14 in the quarter, on 5-for-6 shooting including two three-pointers and a three-point play.dddddddddddd. Toronto continued to dominate in the fourth quarter and easily rolled to the victory from there. "I commend our guys for coming out and focusing in the second half," Casey said. Point guard Greivis Vasquez says he saw the victory as part of an overall goal that extends beyond this regular season. "(Were) third in the East, leading our division," Vasquez said. "If thats not a motivation then youve got to get the heck out of here. You dont see these opportunities very often. Were committed to the team and we understand what were playing for. "We want to be third. We want to win our division. We want to make a run in the playoffs but weve got to finish the season strong and keep building confidence." The Hawks were led by Gustavo Ayons 18 points and 10 rebounds, with Paul Millsap adding 17 points. Torontos Jonas Valanciunas struggled from the floor, connecting on just 1-for-9 field goals, but grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Atlanta was without starter DeMarre Carroll after he strained his left hamstring in a 100-85 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. Lou Williams started in his place. Kyle Korver extended his NBA record for most consecutive games with a made three-point field goal to 120 games, connecting on 2-of-4 attempts from beyond the arc against the Raptors. The Raptors will resume their season in Washington against the Wizards next Tuesday. Toronto will send three players to New Orleans for all-star festivities, headlined by DeRozan playing in Sundays all-star Game as well as in the skills competition on Saturday night. Terrence Ross will defend his Slam Dunk title and Jonas Valanciunas will represent the team in the Rising Stars game between the leagues best rookie and sophomore players. NOTE: Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris was at the game, and the Regina native showed off the bronze medal he won at the Sochi Olympics. ' ' '