Field Level Media
Jan 6, 2019
Jusuf Nurkic scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers knocked off the visiting Houston Rockets 110-101 Saturday night.
CJ McCollum scored 24 points and Damian Lillard contributed 17 points and 12 assists for the Trail Blazers, who ended the Rockets' six-game win streak.
Houston's James Harden scored 38 points, ending his string of five straight 40-point performances. Harden, who missed a layup in the closing seconds, was 13 for 35 from the field, including 5 for 17 from 3-point range.
Austin Rivers scored 21 points and Clint Capela added 13 points and 21 rebounds for the Rockets, who lost for only the third time in the last 11 meetings with the Blazers.
Nurkic had 13 points and seven rebounds as Portland seized a 59-46 lead at the half. Rivers scored 17 points for Houston. Harden had nine points on 3-for-15 shooting, including 0 for 8 from 3-point range.
Portland extended its edge to 79-64 in the third quarter. Houston closed to within 83-75 on a three-point play by Harden late in the quarter.
Lillard answered with a three-point play of his own, and Harden sank a bank shot as time expired and the Blazers took an 86-77 advantage into the final period.
Houston cut the difference to 88-83 on a dunk by Gerald Green with nine minutes left, but McCollum hit a 3-pointer and Nurkic scored on a tip-in to make it 93-83.
The teams traded baskets until Capela split a pair at the line to draw the Rockets to within 97-88 with 4:56 to play. Green's dunk got Houston closer at 97-90 with 4:23 to go.
Nurkic's jump hook increased Portland's lead to 99-90, and McCollum knocked down an 18-footer to make it 101-90 with three minutes remaining.
Green's jumper cut it to 101-92, but McCollum hit again and it was 103-92 with 2:24 left.
Harden's 3-pointer brought the Rockets to within 103-95, but Turner converted a three-point play for a 106-95 Portland advantage with 1:14 to go.
Harden made three free throws to cut the gap to 106-98 with 1:02 remaining, but the Rockets got no closer than six points the rest of the way.
--Field Level Media