Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers controls the ball against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Toyota Center on December 17, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP
Anfernee Simons scored a game-high 32 points while Damian Lillard and Josh Hart each recorded a double-double as the Portland Trail Blazers cruised to a 107-95 road victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Dominated on the glass in the first half, the Trail Blazers turned the tide in their runaway third quarter, converting four offensive rebounds into seven second-chance points. Jusuf Nurkic sank a corner 3-pointer with 7:57 left in the third quarter to cap an extended possession and provide Portland with its first double-digit lead at 68-58. That was just part of a larger, game-clinching rally.
With this bucket, Damian Lillard moves to 8th all-time in career 3s made.
📲 https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK pic.twitter.com/kbtSl6VPRh
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2022
The Rockets went more than six minutes between field goals starting with a Jalen Green layup at the 8:51 mark of the third and a Kenyon Martin Jr. driving dunk with 2:38 remaining in the period. In the interim, Houston missed all four of its shot attempts while committing five turnovers, fueling the Trail Blazers’ 19-3 run to a 20-point advantage on Drew Eubanks’ three-foot bank shot.
Lillard paired 25 points with 10 assists and surpassed 18,000 career points in the first half. Hart recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds. Nurkic had 14 points and anchored the interior defense.
Damian Lillard has scored his 18,000th career point!
In great company 🤝
📲 https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK pic.twitter.com/h9LwJ6izno
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2022
The Rockets, who shot miserably from start to finish, received 15 points from Green and 13 from Kevin Porter Jr. That tandem was 8-for-26 overall and 0-for-12 from behind the arc. Alperen Sengun totaled 10 points and eight rebounds but shot just 4-for-11 from the floor.
Houston missed 26 of 29 3-pointers and shot 40 percent overall.
The Rockets were 0-for-10 on 3-pointers in the first quarter yet pulled even at 36-36 when Eric Gordon connected from deep with 9:44 left in the half, erasing what was a nine-point deficit in the process. The Rockets’ handiwork on the offensive glass enabled them to maintain contact, with Houston scoring 14 second-chance points prior to the intermission.
Houston secured a short-lived 49-48 lead on a Jabari Smith Jr. layup at the 3:53 mark of the second only for the Trail Blazers to close the half with a 9-2 spurt. Lillard nailed a 3-pointer during that run and Simons added the final four points of the half before Portland took control in the third.
The Trail Blazers led by as many as 22 before the Rockets rallied to within 11 late in the fourth.