Anfernee Simons (30 points, 50.0% FG) significantly outplayed Jalen Green (11 points, 21.1% FG) on Friday night as Portland sent Houston to its fifth loss in six games to begin the season.
Alperen Sengun returned to Houston’s lineup after missing two games with an illness, but it wasn’t enough to slow veteran Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic (27 points, 15 rebounds, 70.6% FG) as the Rockets lost on Friday night in Portland, 125-111 (box score).
Houston fell to 1-5 with the loss, while Portland — without Damian Lillard due to a calf strain — improved to 5-1 on the season.
Besides Nurkic, the Blazers also benefited from a strong night by Anfernee Simons, who took on a higher usage rate in Lillard’s absence and posted a game-high 30 points and 6 assists on 7-of-15 shooting from 3-point range (46.7%). Simons easily outplayed Houston counterpart Jalen Green, who struggled with 11 points on 4-of-19 shooting (21.1%) and 2-of-10 on 3-pointers (20.0%).
Veteran guard Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 18 points and 5 assists on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range (57.1%). Sengun had 14 points (50.0% FG) and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes, while Kevin Porter Jr. added 16 points and 6 rebounds.
Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interviews. The Rockets will play game three of their four-city road trip on Sunday night at Phoenix (3-1), with the tip set for 8:00 p.m. Central.
Christian Wood had big numbers and rookie guard Jalen Green showed some improvement from his recent slump, but it wasn’t enough for the Rockets to avoid a 10th straight home loss.
Prized rookie Jalen Green entered Friday in a massive slump for the Houston Rockets, averaging just 5.7 points and 1.3 assists in his last three games on 15.0% shooting and 11.8% on 3-pointers.
The good news is that he showed some signs of improvement versus Portland, tallying 17 points and 5 assists while getting to the free-throw line a team-high nine times. The bad news is that it was still not enough to win, with Houston losing to Portland, 125-110 (box score). The Rockets have now lost 10 straight home games at Toyota Center.
Christian Wood led the Rockets with 21 points (52.9% FG), 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks on Friday, while Garrison Mathews matched him for the team’s scoring lead with 21 points on 4-of-8 from 3-point range (50.0%). But outside of Mathews, the Rockets made just 6-of-33 on 3-pointers (18.2%), which was not nearly good enough versus a Trail Blazers squad that hit 17-of-39 from behind the 3-point arc (43.6%).
Portland’s starting backcourt of Anfernee Simons and CJ McCollum combined to score 53 points, including 9-of-18 on 3-pointers (50.0%). That nearly matched Houston’s total of 10 treys as a team. Veteran big man Jusuf Nurkic added 25 points and 13 rebounds on the interior.
KJ Martin scored a season-high 17 points off Houston’s bench on 8-of-11 shooting (72.7%), and the second unit’s energy — sparked by Martin and rookie guard Josh Christopher (11 points, 55.6% FG, 3 assists in 20 minutes) — helped the Rockets close the deficit to as little as four points in the fourth quarter. But they were unable to get over the hump.
Stephen Silas credits the bench unit, led by Josh Christopher and KJ Martin, for giving Houston the boost to get back in this game.
The Rockets were short-handed for the game, with starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. unavailable due to health and safety protocols.
Houston continues its four-game homestand with a visit from Golden State on Monday night. Until then, scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction following Friday’s busy night at Toyota Center.
With the Lakers (50-15) looming Thursday and coming off a win over Milwaukee (54-13), the Rockets want to avoid a potential trap game.
The Houston Rockets will look to make it three in a row from the NBA “bubble” in Florida when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers in a nationally televised game on Tuesday night.
Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast nationally on TNT and regionally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest (with Houston announcers), and it can be streamed via NBA League Pass.
On paper, the Blazers (30-38) aren’t nearly as daunting of an opponent for Houston as either Dallas (40-29) or Milwaukee (54-13), who were defeated by the Rockets (42-24) on Friday and Sunday.
But with James Harden and Russell Westbrook‘s Rockets coming off a win over the NBA’s top team by record and the No. 2 team (the 50-15 Los Angeles Lakers) looming Thursday, might this be a trap game?
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It could also be argued that Damian Lillard and the Blazers are a tough matchup for the Rockets, since they’re 2-1 against Houston this season — led by a pair of double-digit victories in the most recent matchups on Jan. 15 and Jan. 29. However, both of those games featured Clint Capela and came prior to Houston’s tactical switch to a smaller lineup.
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That small lineup could make for a fascinating contrast with the Blazers, who now have seven-foot center Jusuf Nurkić back after missing most of the 2019-20 season due to a broken leg suffered late last season. Nurkic has been a revelation at the restart, averaging 24 points (54.5% FG), 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3.5 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game.
Add Nurkic to a lineup led by Lillard, who is in the NBA’s top six in points (28.9) and assists (8.0) per game this season, and the Blazers are almost certainly more dangerous than their sub-.500 record. At the restart, Portland is 1-1 — with an overtime win over Memphis (32-35) and a close loss to Boston (44-22), well regarded as an East contender.
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The Blazers are expected to start Lillard, CJ McCollum, Nurkic, Zach Collins, and former Rockets forward Carmelo Anthony. Houston will counter with its All-Star backcourt of Westbrook and Harden, along with the frontcourt of Danuel House Jr., Robert Covington, and P.J. Tucker.
The Rockets are now up to No. 4 in the close Western Conference race for playoff seeding, just a game back of Denver (43-23) for the No. 3 spot. The Blazers, meanwhile, lead San Antonio (29-37) by percentage points in the race for the West’s No. 9 seed and a potential play-in tournament versus No. 8 Memphis (32-35) for the eighth and final playoff spot.
