HOUSTON -- LaMarcus Aldridge had just fouled out late in overtime after scoring a career-high and franchise playoff-record 46 points when he went to Portland teammate Damian Lillard with a simple message. Vince Carter Jersey . "I said: Take it over," Aldridge said. Lillard did just that, finishing with 31 points and making the go-ahead free throws in overtime to lift the Trail Blazers to a 122-120 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night in a thrilling first-round series opener. Aldridge fouled out with about a minute left in overtime and Lillard, who was making his playoff debut, scored Portlands next five points and put the Trail Blazers on top by one point with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left. "When youve got your best player playing like that, it fires you up," Lillard said. "When he went out of the game, I felt like our team ... had to have L.As back and come through for him." Joel Freeland made one of two free throws seconds after Lillards free throws to give the Blazers the win in their first trip to the post-season since 2011. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Houston. Aldridge, who was playing in his home state, also had 18 rebounds and two blocks. "Hes been a handful for us all year long," Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "We just didnt have any answers for him." James Harden and Dwight Howard each scored 27 points for Houston, and Howard grabbed 15 rebounds. Houston could have tied it, but Harden missed a short jump shot at the buzzer. He had missed a 3-pointer on Houstons second-to-last possession. "Ive got to play better," Harden said. "I didnt shoot the ball well ... Ive got to shake it off, but it will be better in Game 2." It was a physical game with the teams combining for 79 free throws. A three-point play by Lillard gave Portland a one-point lead with 44.5 seconds remaining. Francisco Garcia and Howard both made one of two free throws after that to give Houston a 120-119 lead 20 seconds later. Aldridge fouled out when he knocked Patrick Beverley to the floor setting a pick with 1:04 left in overtime. An emotional Aldridge continued to yell at the referees even after he went to the bench. "This is one of those games where I could show my team that I wanted to lead," Aldridge said. Beverley re-injured his right knee on the play where Aldridge fouled out and McHale said the Rockets would know more about the guards status after an MRI exam on Monday. Beverley missed eight games late in the season because of a torn meniscus in that knee. A dunk by Robin Lopez gave Portland a 116-114 lead before he fouled out seconds later. Howard made both free throws to tie it. Houston scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter, with the first four from Howard, to make it 86-73. But Portland used a 10-0 run, with the help of the Hack-A-Howard defence of intentionally fouling the centre, to tie it at 98 with 2:46 remaining. Howard missed four straight free throws as Portland cut the deficit. A 3-pointer by Lillard had tied it at 104-all before Harden put Houston up with two free throws. Aldridges tip-in with 2.9 seconds left tied it at 106. Houston had a chance to win it in regulation, but Hardens shot was off. Howard and Jeremy Lin both made three-point plays to start overtime before Aldridge and Nicolas Batum hit consecutive 3s to tie it back up. Portland trailed by 11 when it used a 9-2 spurt to get within 73-69 with about two minutes left in the third quarter. Aldridge started the run with four points and Wesley Matthews finished it off by scoring the last five and capping it with dunk on a fast break. The Rockets had a four-point lead early in the third quarter when Harden heated up, scoring 10 points of a 12-3 run that extended Houstons advantage to 66-53 with 7 1/2 minutes left in the period. NOTES: Rockets Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and Houston Texans star J.J. Watt watched the game from courtside seats. ... Houston general manager Daryl Morey asked local rappers Slim Thug and Bun B if they could make a remix of the 2005 hit "3 Kings" for the Rockets, and the pair came through in just one day. The two did a concert before the game across the street from the Toyota Center and dropped the track, which mentions several players by name, to wrap up the show as Morey bobbed his head and sang along. Khem Birch Jersey . Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed Tuesdays massive anti-government protest in Manama as "a lot of kids having a go at the police." "I dont think its anything serious at all," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday. Marreese Speights Jersey .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday. http://www.cheapmagicjerseys.com/ . Ozuna hit Reeds 2-2 pitch off the batters eye far above the 407-foot sign in straightaway centre. It was the fifth blown save in 25 tries for Reed (1-5) and the ninth home run the closer has allowed in 38 appearances. Nuno, acquired in the deal that sent Brandon McCarthy to the New York Yankees, gave up three hits, struck out a career-high seven and walked one in seven innings.MANCHESTER, England -- Sepp Blatter will run for a fifth, four-year term as FIFA president. Buoyed by a successful World Cup in Brazil and UEFA President Michel Platini opting not to stand in next years election, the 78-year-old Blatter believes he has the backing to win again. "I will make an official declaration definitely in September now when we have the executive committee," Blatter said in a pre-recorded interview shown Monday at the SoccerEx conference. "I will inform the executive committee. Its a question of respect also to say then to the football family, Yes I will be ready. I will be a candidate." In response to FIFAs worst corruption scandals, Blatter had pledged before his re-election in 2011 that his current term would be his last. But the Swiss official, who took over as FIFA president in 1998, has been edging toward another run ever since, with no major rival emerging to challenge him. Despite ongoing corruption scandals engulfing FIFA and opposition within UEFA, Blatter appears to have retained the support of most national federations. Victory in the May election would extend Blatters mandate to a 21st year in 2019 when he would be 83. "A mission is never finished, and my mission is not finished," said Blatter, who has previously stopped short of confirming his candidacy. "I got (from) the last congress in Sao Paulo not only the impression but the support of the majority, a huge majority of national associations asking Please go on, be our president also in future." Any potential challengers must have worked in football for at least two of the last five years, and have until late January to gather the support of at least five national associations. The secret ballot is scheduled for May 29 in Zurich, and former FIFA international relations director Jerome Champagne is the only other person to say he will stand. FIFA does not have term limits, but FIFA Vice-President Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan is for them. "Its always good to have new ideas, new opinions and new blood," Prince Ali said Monday at SoccerEx. "I do believe in term limits. You serve the time you have and thats that. I think people would much happier knowing, even as people to aspire to a position, when they end." Blatter has seemed more willing in recent years to heed calls for change, introducing goal-line technology and strengthening racism sanctions. FIFA, though, still struggles with corruption scandals discrediting many former executive committee members. Blatter, however, has emerged largely unscathed -- despite often being booed when he faces fans at major matches. Cheap Orlando Magic Jerseys. "(I) just ask for a little bit more respect and fair play and perhaps also the truth, although this is not so easy because it is not such good information," Blatter said. "If you ask me how I deal with that, at the beginning it was very heavy and I was suffering. "But now my situation has been cleared and cleaned by all possible means outside of FIFA, inside of FIFA. So therefore I am confident and I am going forward as an optimist." FIFA faces a turbulent future as it deals with the fallout from awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar. FIFA last week received three reports from ethics investigator Michael Garcia and his team after their year-long probe of alleged corruption in the bidding contests. If the Middle Easts first World Cup is not taken from Qatar, FIFA must determine how the event can be moved from the summer heat. Blatter cancelled a planned visit to SoccerEx in Manchester to stay in Zurich, where football leaders were meeting Monday to discuss the potential disruption to the international calendar caused by starting the 2022 World Cup in January or November. "We have already said we cannot play in summer in this heat in Qatar, then we have to play in winter," Blatter said. "Now we are making this consultation." The more pressing challenge is resisting calls from some British and German politicians to take the World Cup from Russia or boycott the tournament as punishment for President Vladimir Putins intervention in Ukraine. "A boycott in sport never has had any benefit," Blatter said. "Let us wait and see the geo-political situation and FIFA shall not intervene with politics. But for the time being we are working with Russia." Looking further ahead, Blatter offered encouragement for a bid by the United States or Canada for the 2026 World Cup "If you look at the rotation of the World Cup then it should go back to Africa or go to the Americas," Blatter said. "As we have been in South America, I think North America has a better chance than South America .... perhaps theres a big commercial opportunity arising now in the United States because of the tremendous television audiences that are booming and that the World Cup has also encouraged in its domestic game as well. "We did well with football when it first went to the United States but the opportunities are bigger now." Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Braves Jerseys Cheap Orioles Jerseys Cheap Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Cubs Jerseys Cheap White Sox Jerseys Cheap Reds Jerseys Cheap Indians Jerseys Cheap Rockies Jerseys Cheap Tigers Jerseys Cheap Astros Jerseys Cheap Royals Jerseys Cheap Angels Jerseys Cheap Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Marlins Jerseys ' ' '