----- James Harden scores 29 points and Chris Paul records a triple-double as the Houston Rockets defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-104 Tuesday night at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The Houston Rockets entered the night having dropped seven of their last nine games, but the Blazers defense was just what the doctor ordered as Houston dropped Portland 111-104 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The Blazers started quickly building a 27-12 lead after making seven of their first nine shots from the floor, but the Rockets responded with a 24-6 run to take a 36-33 lead with 8:14 to play in the first half. Portland closed out the half on a 21-15 run to a 54-51 halftime lead.
The Blazers went cold in the second half scoring just 49 points. Damian Lillard scored a game-high 34 points, but connected on just 12 of his 25 shots and had just two assists. CJ McCollum added 22 points but missed all five of his three-point attempts.
Houston used a 25-5 run to end the third and start the fourth quarters, and opened a 100-83 lead on 3-pointer by Harden with 6:48 left.
Portland (15-12) struggled to find a third option after Lillard and McCollum. Jusuf Nurkic scored 15 points but made just 3-of-9 from the field, and the Blazers got just 13 points from their bench.
Houston (12-14) got 29 points from James Harden and Chris Paul added a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Rockets got a huge boost from their bench with 37 points on 15-for-22 shooting. Gerald Green scored 13 points in 18 minutes of action.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will play the second of a back-to-back tomorrow night in Memphis against the Grizzlies. Game is scheduled to tip off at 5:00 PM.
Chad's Take- If your basketball team is struggling, schedule the Portland Trail Blazers immediately. Results guaranteed.