The injured Portland Trail Blazers failed to make a beautiful game against the Houston Rockets tonight. They played a brilliant room, built a big advantage and wasted it with a weak defense. When the chips fell, they went to their old standby, the three point shoot. That, and Damian Lillard’s 30 points kept Portland alive in the final seconds of the game, but in the end, they fell short by a final score of 104-101.
Derrick Jones Jr. ruled the first quarter. High dives were just the beginning. He picked up rebounds, interrupted passes and was the active ingredient in Portland’s attack. When Jones Jr. was not destroying the Rockets with energy, Damian Lillard did it from the perimeter. 10 Dame points in the first 8 minutes put Portland 25-8. This was the first time that a quarter had seemed easy for them in at least two weeks. Lillard would finish with 13 points and 3 assists on the board and the Blazers led 32-17 after one.
Unfortunately, the second unit failed to keep pace at the beginning of the second quarter. The bank group evolved into isolation or attack with a single pass. His shots missed. The defense was not much better. The Rockets had the lead to 4 at the 5:30 mark. Lillard stopped the bleeding with a tray, an assist and a three just after check-in. But Portland never got back on track. They ended up with defense centers on the perimeter and guards defending inside. It will not work. Add 11 quick break points for Houston – worth a whole game in one period – and you can see where Portland’s 20-point lead fell. At the break, Houston led 53-50 and this was a ball game.
The story was not much better at the beginning of the third. Portland’s defense was atrocious; Houston expanded its leadership. Lillard and Gary Trent Jr.’s three-point shots kept the Blazers alive, but Portland fans held their breath, hoping it would hold. He almost did. The Blazers held on, most with 28 Lillard points for three. They lost 77-86 by going to the room.
The opening of the fourth featured Trent Jr. stepping up with a pair of three, bringing Portland back to him. The margin fluctuated between 1-4 points for a while. The good thing for Portland was that Lillard was on the bench during that period. The Blazers continued to hit three, but did not defend them well. Jones Jr. fell with a sprained ankle, which also twisted the Portland perimeter defense. But it is difficult to lose when the three enter. Trent and Anfernee Simons said yes.
Houston’s lead remained a single point after the 2:00 mark as the score went back and forth. He stayed there beyond the 1:00 mark as well. Victor Oladipo hit a tray on Enes Kanter with 26 seconds left, placing the Blazers on the floor 3. Trent had a chance to return possession, but the tray did not fall. After a foul and free throws, Simons hit a three, but there was only 3 seconds left on the clock. Portland lost just one, but there was not enough time for the foul and good possession. After Houston’s free throws, the Blazers had 2 seconds remaining for the three draws. The shot that pushed them all night failed in the end, when Simons launched a deep three. All things considered, Portland did well to put itself in that position, but it still fell short.
Guards and three were the story of this game Lillard scored 30 in 5-11 kicking from the bottom. Trent, Jr. scored 23 points, making 7 out of 13 trios. Simons contributed 14, shooting 4-9 in triples. Among them, they reached 16 trios, most of Portland’s effort by 17-41 for the night.
Kicking 41.5% away is enough to win most games, but the Blazers missed out, drew no fouls and allowed Houston a 9-point lead on the foul line. It made a difference.
Points Box
The Blazers face the Chicago Bulls in Windy City on Saturday night at 5; 00, Pacific.