Winning Streak Snapped as Rockets Fall to Blazers, 110-101
Lost on the Glass. Scary Parity. Home Sweet Home.
The Rockets came into Portland red-hot, only to be cooled-off by the Blazers, as Houston’s winning streak came to a halt, in a 110-101 defeat, on Saturday night. Portland manhandled Houston on the glass, despite another 20-rebound performance from Clint Capela. Jusuf Nurkic had a monster game for the Blazers and dominated the painted area, with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Capela didn’t have enough help on the glass, in a game where no other Rocket had more than five boards. The Rockets lost the rebounding battle, which was the key to Saturday night’s loss. Houston had more rest coming into the game (Portland played the night before), but the Rockets looked like they were still feeling the effects of that crucial victory over Golden State in the previous game. Despite another great game from Austin Rivers, who scored 14 of his 21 points in the first quarter to get Houston started offensively, the Rockets only had four players in double figures and couldn’t manage to outduel the Blazers. Gerald Green chipped in with 13 points off the bench. That was pretty much all the bench support Houston got, even though Brandon Knight had his best game yet in red, finishing with 7 points in limited playing time. The Rockets didn’t have the same focus and intensity they brought to beat the Warriors, and looked a step slow. P.J. Tucker didn’t score a point and only attempted one shot for the entire game. Houston needs to get the Hustle King going, his corner-threes are key to the Rockets dynamic offensive-attack. Look for him to find his shooting rhythm in Houston’s upcoming home-friendly schedule. James Harden had an off shooting night, yet still finished with 38 points and 7 assists, extending his NBA-record of games with 35+ points and 5+ assists to 10 games in a row.
The West has never been so merciless. The Blazers proved that on Saturday, reminding Houston that Portland is one of many teams in the crowded West who have a chance at getting home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Portland ended the first half on a 20-3 run that gave them a 13-point advantage, that, #13 and Houston couldn’t recover from. The Rockets will get a reminder of the depth in the West with a visit from the Nuggets, the team with the best record in the Conference at the moment (who are exceeding preseason expectations). The parity in the West is terrifying for teams competing for a playoff spot. Only 6.5 games separate the #1 seed from the #8 seed, with teams on the outside looking in all still in the playoff-picture, besides the rebuilding Phoenix Suns. Houston aims to end of the first half of the season at home on a positive note with a pair of victories over elite competition, and a revenge game against Cleveland to cap off the midway-point.
The Rockets return to Houston, and play 9 of their next 12 games at home, including 6 of the next 7 contests. Luckily for the Rockets, they’ve won 9 games in a row at Toyota Center. Houston looks to close out the toughest stretch of the season in front on the home crowd, as Friday’s game marks the halfway point of the season. Up next on the schedule, the league’s top teams (by record) from each conference: the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks, come to town. On Monday night, Houston gets a visit from the top-seeded Nuggets. A team they beat earlier this season in Denver, which has proven to be arguably the Rockets’ most impressive victory during their poor start. Houston looks to extend its home winning streak to 10 games and get another victory over a Nuggets team they’ve played well against in recent outings. The Rockets are optimistic the friendly confines of Toyota Center will help get them back to the red-hot levels of their streak in Houston, as they try and prove Saturday night’s loss was just an aberration for Red Nation.