Just a footnote to our Blazer outing of a week ago: The Houston Rockets went on to post an impressive 5-1 record during their long road trip, and they picked up a fine from the league for going to Las Vegas rather than enduring three boring nights in Portland when they played here.

The Rockets are a good team if they stay healthy, but now that superstar Tracy McGrady's able to play, everyone else's body has fallen apart. No news to Blazer fans, Derek Anderson's glass physique has cracked again. Yao Ming's got a toe problem that's caused him to miss a game -- a rare occurrence -- and backup Dikembe Mutombo both dislocated and badly gashed a finger filling in for him last night. As I say, they're a playoff team, but they'll have some challenges as they get back home.

Funny thing, I mentioned last week that every time he made a mistake on the floor in Portland, McGrady followed it up with a spectacular comeback. That's just what he did last night as his team beat the Lakers -- a driving T-Mac posterizing a defender with a layup with 0.3 seconds to go. That guy can play.