Trail Blazers come up short against the Rockets
The Portland Trail Blazers, unable to muster enough offense to outgun James Harden and the Houston Rockets, are outscored 40-19 in the final quarter and lose their fourth consecutive game, 124-117.
Jusuf Nurkic? Out.
Moe Harkless? Out.
Houston Rockets? In.
Uh-oh.
That’s probably how most of Rip City reacted when it heard that the Blazers would be playing the NBA’s winningest team without Nurk and Moe.
The Blazers are full of surprises this season, however. So, heading into their Saturday night tilt against the Rockets at the Moda Center, about the only thing anyone knew for sure was that they’d be wearing their red “Statement” uniforms for the fourth game in a row.
The question was: Which version of the Blazers would suit up? The one that went 4-1 on its recent road trip? Or the one that had lost three consecutive games at home in those same unis.
Make that four consecutive games at home. Some statement, huh?
The Rockets arrived in Portland having won eight in a row, and in the fourth quarter they showed why they’re the best team in basketball right now.
Final score: Rockets 124, Blazers 117.
Here’s how it went down.
First Quarter
With Nurkic and Moe out, the Blazers started the game with Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Evan Turner, Al-Farouq Aminu and Meyers Leonard.
They got off to a rough start – CJ McCollum turned the ball over on the Blazers’ first possession – but quickly got going after Lillard nailed a long three.
The Blazers got big contributions from Leonard and Aminu, especially after Dame was called for two quick fouls and spent time on the bench. This meant head coach Terry Stotts had to make some quick adjustments.
Jake Layman saw first quarter action, as did Zach Collins, who played some of the most significant minutes of his rookie season. During one inspired play, Ed Davis missed two free throws, but Collins snagged a rebound and passed to Davis for the slam.
At the end of an entertaining, back-and-forth first quarter, the Blazers led 37-31. Lillard was 4-5 from three. The team shot 61% from the field (60% from three), and it was their second-highest-scoring first quarter of the season.
But there were some bad omens:
The Blazers allowed the Rockets to penetrate all the way to the rim far too many times.
And James Harden already had 17 points.
Second Quarter
For the Blazers, the second quarter was filled with encouraging signs. Lillard kept dropping threes from deep, part of a season-high nine first-half threes for the Blazers.
Collins hit a three of his own, constantly battled for rebounds and set some mean screens. He also had a nice block on a Harden shot.
And Pat Connaughton was effective, moving well without the ball, playing active defense and finishing the quarter with 8 points.
For most of the quarter, the Blazers kept the lead – even extending it at some points. But Harden was unstoppable, finishing the half with 28 points.
By the end of the quarter, the Rockets had erased the Blazers’ lead, and the game was tied at 62. Both teams were shooting better than 50% from the field.
After a half that included minor dustups between Leonard and Chris Paul (with both receiving technicals) and Leonard and Trevor Ariza, the stage was set for an intriguing second half.
Third Quarter
The Blazers’ starting lineup was back in the game to start the third. Aminu and Leonard joined in the three-fest, with Leonard putting the Blazers up by six after shooting a three and then performing some sort of robot walk. (Or perhaps it was a gunslinger move? It was hard to tell.)
The Blazers appeared fully engaged on defense in the third. Lillard was especially aggressive against defenders, and both Davis and Collins continued to play physical ball.
Later in the quarter, though, Lillard twisted his ankle and hopped off the court. He would start the fourth quarter on the bench, with his right ankle wrapped.
The Blazers had dominated the quarter from start to finish, outscoring the Rockets 36-22 to take a 14-point lead heading into the fourth. It was their largest lead of the game.
Then it all fell apart.
Fourth Quarter
The Blazers began the fourth with Davis, McCollum, Collins, Connaughton, and Layman in the game.
Long story short: The Rockets scorched the Blazers for 40 points, outscoring Portland by 21.
McCollum shot well, but had some costly turnovers. And Lillard wasn’t the same after twisting his ankle.
Still, the Blazers had a one-point lead with five minutes left. But there was just too much James Harden, who finished the game with 48 points on 16-29 shooting. Chris Paul was 8-14, finishing with 26 points and 7 assists.
Lillard finished with 35, including nine three-pointers. McCollum had 28 points but was just 2-8 from three.
If the Blazers had entered this game having played well over the last week or so, Rip City could easily chalk this up to the Blazers being shorthanded and playing a Rockets team that is absolutely on fire.
But, fairly or unfairly, the Blazers poor recent performances cast this loss in a different light. Portland blew a 14-point lead – another disappointment in a year that’s filling up with them.
Three Takeaways
1) The rookie. Zach Collins deserves more playing time. He was aggressive and active tonight, showing off both his rebounding, shot-blocking and three-point ability. (And speaking of rookies, what’s happening with Caleb Swanigan?)
2) CJ’s slump. CJ’s slump. Although he was terrible from three, CJ McCollum is showing signs that he’s extracting himself from his shooting slump.
Next: Stotts needs to be able to bench Lillard and McCollum
3) Dame’s ankle. The Moda Center crowd heard Dame Dolla holla when he rolled his ankle during the third quarter and hobbled to the bench. Lillard is proving himself to be Portland’s new Iron Man, and it will be interesting to see if he becomes the third regular starter (along with Aminu and Nurkic) to sit out a game with a bum ankle.