Trail Blazers 99, Rockets 98: Damian Lillard drained a 3-pointer as time expired as host Portland defeated Houston to win the first-round Western Conference series in six games.

Chandler Parsons scored on a putback with 0.9 seconds remaining to give the Rockets a two-point lead before Lillard got loose on the in-bounds play and knocked down the decisive shot as the Trail Blazers won a playoff series for the first time since 2000. LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and 13 rebounds and Lillard scored 25 points for fifth-seeded Portland, which will face San Antonio or Dallas in the next round.

James Harden scored 34 points and Dwight Howard added 26 points and 11 rebounds for fourth-seeded Houston. Parsons contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds.

The Trail Blazers held a 91-87 lead before Howard scored six straight points to give Houston a two-point edge with 3:03 to play and he later converted a three-point play to give the Rockets a 96-94 edge with 1:47 to play. Portland’s Nicolas Batum hit a tying fadeaway jumper with 39.9 seconds left and Harden missed a 3-pointer and the rebound caromed off Robin Lopez’s hand to Parsons, who laid it in to briefly give Houston the lead.

Harden had 24 first-half points as the Rockets led 58-56 at the break while Aldridge tallied 21 for the Trail Blazers. Houston led by eight early in the third quarter before Portland crept back within 79-78 entering the final stanza.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Lillard was 6-of-10 from 3-point range and made 23 during the six-game series. … Howard scored 20 or more points and grabbed 10 or more rebounds in all six games. … Portland was 20-of-22 from the free-throw line, while the Rockets were 23-of-31.