Rockets lose to Trail Blazers 110-102

Posted: August 5, 2020 -- 12:14 a.m. CT

ORLANDO, FL (ESPN Disney World of Sports Complex) -- James Harden summed up the Rockets' 110-102 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers succinctly when he said, "They made shots down the stretch; and, we didn't."

At its core, basketball is that simple. After all, the NBA -- as the cliché says -- is a make or miss league.

Russell Westbrook tied the game at 100 with 4:06 on the game clock. The Rockets (42-25) made just 1 of 7 field goal attempts the rest of the game. Meanwhile the Trail Blazers (31-38) made 3 of 6 shots including two 3-point buckets to outscore the Rockets 10-2 down the stretch.

Portland's Gary Trent Jr. sank a 3 point shot to break the 100-all tie. Harden scored a layup 39 seconds later to bring the Rockets within 1 (103-102). Neither team scored until Damian Lillard split 2 foul shots for a 104-102 Portland lead with 89 seconds remaining.

Harden missed a three-point shot; and, former Rockets player (and future Hall-of-Famer) Carmelo Anthony drained a three-pointer near the top of the key for a 107-102 Portland lead with 54.6 seconds remaining in the game.

The Rockets missed 3 more three-point shot attempts to finish the game. Houston shot 19 for 53 from the three-point range in the game.

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Portland made 12 of 31 three-point field goal attempts. Both teams struggled at the free throw line: Houston was 15 for 24 and Portland was 20 for 29.

Tuesday's match-up was played at Portland's tempo. The Rockets did not push the pace which hurt their effectiveness.

"We weren't creating opportunities to run," Mike D'Antoni, Rockets Head Coach, said after the game. "After a made basket, we definitely weren't running. So, we kinda got into they're kind of game."

Jeff Green scored 22 points off the bench for the Rockets. Green was part of the bench brigade which erased a deficit to tie the Blazers at 88 early in the fourth quarter. Harden and Russell Westbrook were resting on the bench during the comeback.

Harden dealt with foul trouble and double teams, traps, and junk defenses for most of the ball game. Harden finished the game with a game-high 23 points on 7 for 17 field goal shooting including 3 for 8 from behind the arc.

Westbrook scored 15 points on 5 for 14 field goal attempts and 5 for 12 free throw shooting.

Danuel House Jr scored 17 points on 6 for 14 field goal shooting including 4 for 10 threes.

The Rockets had 10 turnovers in the game; and, the Blazers had 12 miscues. Both teams are now 2-1 in the NBA's Restart.

Houston's next game is Thursday, August 6, at 8 p.m. Central Time, against the LA Lakers, on TNT.

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