NBA playoffs: Late steal gives Portland a 3-1 lead

Aldridge came up with a key block of Harden on the ensuing possession, however, Wright only split a pair of free throws. Howard tied the game up with 3.6 seconds left on a dunk off a nice find from Harden, and Williams missed a potential game-winning three, sending the game to overtime.

Aldridge led the Blazers with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Batum added 25 points, while Lillard had 23 points and Matthews 21 points. Harden had 28 points to lead the Rockets, who find themselves on the brink of elimination. Parsons had 26 points, and Howard poured in 25 points to go along with 14 rebounds.

Game 4 between the Rockets and Trail Blazers has been sloppy and amazing, or “slopmazing” if you’re in need of a good portmanteau. Nobody better embodied this ideal than Jeremy Lin, who fumbled around the court in the final minute.

At this exact moment he’s just running around and failing at everything. It ALMOST looked like this series of possessions would end the game, but NOPE we’re headed to overtime.

This is pure, distilled “welp” in a single GIF. Keep reaching for the stars, Dwight, you can do it.

Paul Pierce had 22 points to lead the Nets, but Brooklyn’s offense went in the tank to close the game. The Nets didn’t make a single field goal after Pierce’s layup with 6:11 left, with four turnovers also hurting the cause. Brooklyn shot just 41.2 percent overall, 65.5 percent from the line and 4-of-20 from three-point land.

Down 2-1 on the road, the Raptors came out firing, with Johnson, DeRozan and a noticeably gimpy Lowry all scoring in double figures in the first period. Johnson led the way with 11 first-quarter points, as Toronto shot 61.9 percent in the frame to grab a 13-point lead after one quarter.

As it’s been through all three games so far, Portland will get production out of Aldridge, Lillard and Batum, and Houston will likewise get its firepower from Harden and Dwight Howard. But role players making big plays might be the difference in the end.

TV schedule: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT

The four NBA playoff games on Sunday come with a bit of drama. On the hardwood, no team has a 3-0 advantage heading into the fourth game of the series. Unfortunately in some cases, the storylines go beyond the court.

1 p.m. ET, ABC