Rockets Fail to Keep Pace in 125-111 Defeat to Blazers
A Different Kind Of Strength. No Dame, More Pain. Only the Beginning.
“You’re strength breaks men’s bones,” Olga tells the lead character in this year’s epic Viking film, The Northman. And while no bones were broken Friday night in Portland, Houston certainly received a pounding, as they failed to outscore the Blazers in any quarter, en route to a 125-111 loss. Just Nurkic dealt the majority of the damage for Portland. Nurkic, seemingly, right out of The Northman, was a barbaric beast in the interior. The Blazers’ big man dominated the paint on his way to registering 27 points, 15 boards, and 3 blocks. This young Rockets squad had no answers for Nurkic inside, as Aleperen Sengun lacked the strength to contain the big man inside. Houston had a balanced attack, with six players scoring in double-figures, led by Eric Gordon’s 18 points. However, no one on the squad reached the 20-point mark, and the team shot poorly from the field. Kevin Porter Jr. scored 16 points, Alperen Sengun had a nice showing offensively, posting a 14-point, 11 rebound double-double. Jalen Green struggled in his worst shooting game of the year so far this season. Green scored only 11 points on a dismal 4-for-19 from the floor. The Rockets will need to be better overall offensively if they want any chance in their upcoming back-to-back.
This game was supposed to be easier for Houston. The Blazers were missing star guard Damian Lillard (out due to an injury), who usually plays great against the Rockets. Yet no Dame, no pain for Portland. Anfernee Simons stepped into Lillard’s role and led the Blazers with an impressive 30 points on 50% shooting for the evening. The duo of Simons and Nurkic simply outplayed and overpowered Houston en route to dealing the Rockets another loss. And it doesn’t get any easier after Friday night’s defeat in Portland.
Friday’s loss was the first game of three in four nights for Houston, as they continue this road-heavy stretch early in the schedule. Up next, the Rockets have a back-to-back that starts on Sunday in Phoenix versus the Suns, and ends the next night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. The Phoenix Suns are once again a contender in the Western Conference. They’re off to a 4-2 start, and should pose a tough challenge for this young Houston team. The squad will need to channel some of Jusuf Nurkic’s “bone-breaking” mindset, if they want any chance to upset former Rocket Chris Paul and his Suns on Sunday night.