Westbrook’s 39 in vain as Blazers top Rockets in road trip finale

Playing their third road game in four nights, the Rockets (29-18) weren’t competitive after the first quarter in a 125-112 loss at Portland.

Russell Westbrook scored 30 or more points for the eighth time in his last nine games, but it wasn’t enough for the Houston Rockets in a 125-112 loss on Wednesday night at Portland (box score).

Westbrook’s 39 points came on 16-of-29 (55.2%) shooting from the field, and he also had 10 rebounds and six assists.

Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers (21-27) in the victory with 36 points on blistering 6-of-12 efficiency (50.0%) from 3-point range. He also had 11 assists and 10 rebounds, making for the first triple-double of his career.

Former Rockets forward Trevor Ariza tied his 2019-20 season high with 21 points on 9-of-13 (64.3%) shooting. Overall, the Trail Blazers had six different players with double figures in scoring.

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For the game, Portland shot 51.7% from the field and 36.1% on 3-pointers against a lethargic and overmatched Houston defense. The Trail Blazers outscored the Rockets in the second quarter, 41-24, and never looked back. From there, the home team never trailed in the second half.

With the defeat, the Rockets (29-18) finished their four-game Western Conference road trip at 2-2. They will now play five of seven games in Houston leading into the mid-February All-Star break.

Houston led by six points after the first quarter and by as many as 12 early, but tired legs seemed to catch up with them on their fourth game in a fourth city over six nights, and a third in four nights.

James Harden (bruised left thigh) and Clint Capela (right heel contusion) returned after missing Monday’s win in Utah due to injury, but neither starter quite looked like his usual self. Harden scored 15 points on 5-of-18 (27.8%) shooting, continuing his recent slump, while Capela had just two points and seven rebounds in only 17 minutes.

With Capela struggling, Portland outrebounded the Rockets by a commanding 50-39 margin in Wednesday’s game.

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Ben McLemore scored 17 points in a new bench role, making 5-of-9 shots (55.6%) from 3-point range. Eric Gordon replaced McLemore in the starting lineup after scoring 50 points Monday, but Gordon had just eight points in Portland on 2-of-10 (20%) shooting from the field.

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The Rockets return to action Friday night with a home game against the Dallas Mavericks, with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central from Toyota Center. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Both the Rockets and Mavs will enter Friday’s game with identical 29-18 records, tied for No. 5 in the Western Conference playoff race.

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