On January 19, Beijing time, in the NBA regular season, the Houston Rockets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 125-103 on the road to avoid consecutive losses and stabilize their second place in the Western Conference. At halftime, the Rockets only led by 1 point, but they extended the lead to 13 points in the third quarter and entered garbage time in the fourth quarter when they were more than 20 points ahead.
Team Data
Rockets: Green scored 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist; Shenjing had 23 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block; Dillon contributed 22 points and 6 rebounds; Van Jordan added 9 points and 3 assists; Ethan chipped in with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals; White Magic finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Trail Blazers: Simons scored 13 points and 4 assists; Sharp had 13 points and 9 rebounds; Kamara contributed 17 points and 5 rebounds; Henderson added 21 points and 11 assists; Walker finished with 10 points.
Star of the Game - Green
Green continued his excellent shooting form from January, scoring 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist with 4 three-pointers in just three quarters.
Anecdotes
VanVleet returned to action, while Amen Thompson was out due to injury, and Udoka inserted Tate into the starting lineup.
Klingen, Sabol, Ayton, and Avdija were all absent.
Game Recap
Shenjing started the game with a flurry of activity under the basket, scoring 6 points in a row to help the Rockets build a 10-2 lead that forced the Blazers to call a timeout. Henderson came off the bench to hit a three-pointer, Green responded with a mid-range shot, and Dillon completed a 2+1 play. After Kamara's dunk and subsequent foul, he followed up with an impressive alley-oop dunk that energized the home crowd. Murray tied the game with a three-pointer, prompting Udoka to call a timeout, but Green hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first quarter with the Rockets leading 25-23.
In the second quarter, White Magic hit a mid-range jumper, followed by Adams' second-chance points. However, White Magic missed a driving layup, and Simons hit a three-pointer that gave the Blazers the lead. Udoka rested both Green and Shenjing, resulting in a lack of offensive momentum. VanVleet missed six shots in a row, but Shenjing returned to draw a foul. Green hit another three-pointer, and Ethan also made several shots, helping the Rockets maintain a narrow 51-50 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Green hit his third three-pointer, continuing his hot streak from beyond the arc in January. Shenjing's powerful dunk forced the Blazers to call a timeout. Murray struggled to convert on fast breaks, while White Magic's counter-attack dunk extended the Rockets' lead to over 10 points. Ethan assisted Shenjing for another 2+1 play, prompting another Blazers timeout. Shenjing scored 14 points in the quarter, and Green added 12, as the Rockets dominated the quarter 36-24. They ended the third quarter with an 87-74 lead.
In the final quarter, Simons hit a three-pointer, and White Magic made two free throws after drawing a foul. Van Jordan's three-pointer forced the Blazers to call a timeout. Dillon hit a fadeaway shot, and White Magic finally hit a three-pointer. He then stole the ball and assisted Holiday for another three-pointer. With 5 minutes and 42 seconds remaining, Shenjing entered the game to seal the victory. He made one of two free throws and then stole the ball to assist Ethan, reducing the Blazers' deficit to 16 points. Dillon's three-pointer secured the win, and Udoka replaced the starters with substitutes. Sheppard finally hit a three-pointer, and White Magic made another steal.
Starting Lineups
Rockets: VanVleet, Green, Tate, Dillon, Shenjing;
Trail Blazers: Simons, Sharp, Grant, Kamara, Lowry;
Written by Yan Xiaobai