The Portland Trail Blazers finished up their five-game road trip with a 106-99 loss to the Houston Rockets Friday night.
The Blazers took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter, but their offense collapsed down the stretch as the Rockets pulled away. The Blazers had their chances all night, but were unable to take control of a very winnable game.
They made just 21 of their 37 free throws (56.8%), turned the ball over six times in the decisive fourth quarter, and made only three of their 19 three-point
attempts in the second half.
Jerami Grant led the Blazers with 21 points. Jrue Holiday added 20 points and 10 assists, while Donovan Clingan scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
All-Star Center Alperen Sengun paced the Rockets with 28 points. Amen Thompson contributed 26 points on 11-12 shooting and made several huge defensive plays down the stretch to seal the game for the Rockets (39-23).
With the loss, the Blazers fell to 30-34 and remain in 10th place in the Western Conference.
Here are a few key observations from the game.
A Great Start
The Blazers have been slow starters for much of the season, but Toumani Camara sparked an excellent first quarter against the Rockets. He made 4-5 three-pointers and recorded three steals as the Blazers jumped out to a 13-point advantage.
His teammates looked sharp, too, as the Blazers made 7-12 from deep in the opening quarter.
Camara’s offense went cold for the rest of the game, but he finished with 16 points on 4-9 shooting from behind the arc.
A Relatively Quiet Game for Durant
Per usual, though, Camara’s greatest impact was on the defensive end. He hounded Kevin Durant, one of the NBA’s all-time great scorers, all night.
Durant finished with 20 points, but very few of them came easy. He was 8-18 shooting, missed his only three-point attempt and turned the ball over eight times. Camara was responsible for a lot of those, recording a season-high six steals.
Long Scoring Droughts
Durant wasn’t the only player to struggle to put the ball in the basket. Each team suffered through some extended scoring droughts.
The entire Blazers team cooled off significantly after the strong first quarter. As Holiday, Grant and Camara rested to start the second quarter, the Blazers offense fell off a cliff. They managed just 12 points in the first 9:29 of the second quarter as momentum swung to Houston.
In the third quarter, it was the Blazers’ turn to turn up the defensive intensity. For the quarter, the Rockets were just 8-22 (36.3%) shooting and managed just two points over the final 6:33 of the period.
The Blazers saved the worst of the offense for the fourth quarter, though, scoring just 17 points. In the opening three minutes of the quarter, they committed a pair of shot clock violations. When they were actually able to attempt shots, things didn’t go much better. They were 7-21 shooting in the quarter and made just one of their seven three-pointers.
A Rough Scoot Game
Scoot Henderson started the game for the Blazers, but never found a way to make a positive impact. He finished with four points on 1-9 shooting (including 1-4 from behind the arc), dished out two assists and committed two turnovers.
He played just 19:41 despite the start. Coach Tiago Splitter inserted him into the game with 9:04 to play in the fourth quarter and the Blazers clinging to a four-point lead. But shortly after entering, Henderson threw an ill-advised alley-oop pass that was intercepted and led to a breakaway dunk for Thompson.
That basket capped a 6-0 Rockets run and prompted Splitter to call a timeout. Henderson exited and sat the remainder of the game.
Amen
Thompson, the player chosen by the Rockets immediately after Henderson in the 2023 NBA Draft, had an impressive game. Like Henderson, he struggles as a three-point shooter, but against the Blazers on Friday night, it didn’t matter.
Thompson found space along the baseline to get open for lob dunks, he cut to the basket at opportune times for easy finishes, he stole the ball from Holiday in the backcourt for an easy breakaway dunk, and he drove the ball aggressively in transition to get himself to the free throw line.
He also made the biggest defensive play of the night. After committing a potentially costly turnover near mid-court, Thompon raced back on defense as Grant led a two-on-one fast break. Grant attempted to throw an alley-oop pass to Camara, who appeared open on the right side of the basket. Thompson lurched at Grant, but quickly shifted back towards the basket, leapt, and stole the pass.
At the time, the Blazers trailed by five points with under two minutes to play and were in the midst of a last-ditch attempt to keep the game within reach. But the Thompson steal basically sealed the win for the Rockets.
Up Next
The Blazers head back to Portland, where they will host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday evening. Tipoff is at 6:00 PM Pacific.
