Houston tied up the Western Conference First Round 2-2 with a 104-89 upset keyed by Fox's great play. There's no question that Portland is the better team, and even after today's loss they remain ranked ahead of Houston. But that wasn't important today, when Fox took over and carried his team to a win. "What a gift," grinned Houston coach Bob. "The rest of the team got outplayed, but Fox stepped up and got us the win. No complaints, but we'd be surprised to get another win over Portland."

Said losing coach Bob, "What a tough way to lose. It seemed like we had everything under control today. We pretty much did what we wanted, except for Fox."

Houston was led by Fox (20 points, 6 assists, a steal), Laboy (19 points, 8 assists), Sims (18 points, 2 assists, 2 blocks). Portland was led by Smith (18 points, a steal, 3 blocks), Jackson (17 points, 5 blocks), Kimbell (18 points, a block).

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