Los Angeles - In a matter of less than two seconds, Brandon Roy rode an emotional coaster before finishing on a high.

Roy nailed a 30-foot 3-pointer jumper to beat the overtime buzzer, and give the Portland Trail Blazers a dramatic 101-99 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

"In this building we're never out of it," said Roy, who finished with 17 points on just six-of-18 shooting from the field.

"I was so disappointed that I fouled on that last play, I just hoped that whatever we do, just give me the ball and I'm going to try to make the shot. I made it. It was awesome."

Roy looked to be the hero after burying an 18-foot fade-away jumper from the right side with 1.9 ticks to go, putting Portland ahead,
98-96.

However, after a timeout, the Rockets got the in-bounds pass into Chinese super centre Yao Ming at the left baseline and Roy ran over to help with a double team.

Yao hit a tough jumper and Roy was called on the foul with eight-tenths of a second left. He made the free throw to complete the three-point play, giving Houston the short-lived lead.

Following a timeout, Roy rushed to the left sideline to take a pass from Steve Blake before launching the game-winner that swished cleanly through the net. He was immediately mobbed on the court by his teammates while sending the 20,611 wildly cheering fans at the sold out Rose Garden into a frenzy.

"At point eight, we knew you could catch and shoot," Roy said of the final play. "So, I said as soon as I catch it, I'm going to get a good look. I hit a great shot and I'm just happy I got the win for my team."

LaMarcus Aldridge topped the Trail Blazers (2-3) with 27 points. Spanish rookie Rudy Fernandez had 15, while Travis Outlaw contributed 14 with 13 rebounds.

Though the outcome had yet to be determined, Blazers rookie Jerryd Bayless had a hunch Roy would walk away with the game-winner, according to teammate Channing Frye.

"It was crazy because Jerryd called it." Frye said in the locker room. "He said, I bet you B-Roy hits it. Maybe Jerryd's a psychic."

Frye added: "We felt like the whole game was ours and we deserved to win. Houston played a great game except we hit a shot at the end to win."

Tracy McGrady had 30 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to pace the Rockets (3-2) who had won the last five meetings against the Blazers. Aaron Brooks and Argentina Luis Scola added 14 points apiece while Yao finished with 13, hitting just four-of-13 field goals.

Elsewhere:

Orlando Magic 98, Philadelphia 76ers 88 Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis scored 20 points apiece, and the Magic beat the visiting Sixers for its third straight win.

Jameer Nelson added 16 points for Orlando (3-2) while Dwight Howard finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots in 29 foul-plagued minutes.

Despite having Howard for only four minutes in the opening half, the Magic built a 30-16 lead after one and 54-43 at the break behind 15 points from Lewis.

Howard, an Olympic gold medalist, returned to the lineup for the third quarter when Orlando stretched the lead to 23. However, the Sixers closed on a 21-7 run to draw within 75-66.

A basket by Lou Williams with 8:37 left pulled the Sixers within 80-74, but that's as close as they would come.

Howard hit a pair of baskets around a layup by Nelson and Turkoglu's 3-pointer, increasing the lead to 89-78 with 5:24 remaining, and the Magic stayed in front the rest of the way.

Thaddeus Young scored 19 points while Andre Iguodala had 16 along with 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Sixers (2-4) who shot just 38 per cent (36-of-95) from the floor. (dpa)