NBA 2018-19: 3 talking points from Houston Rockets' win over Portland Trail Blazers
The Houston Rockets had lost the previous three games when the Portland Trail Blazers had visited them. So it was not surprising that Portland gave the hosts tough competition all throughout the 48 minutes yesterday, until Houston pulled away in the final minutes of the game to clinch a much-needed 111-103 victory.
It's no secret at this point that the Rockets are not that good anymore, even with all their players up and running on the roster. They just can't seem to rediscover the balance they had unearthed last year, and although they won this particular game, they still stand at a sorrowful 14th in the West with a 12-14 (0.462) win-loss record.
With this loss to the Rockets, the Trail Blazers have now lost 7 of their last 10 games, and currently, hold the 8th spot with a 15-12 (0.556) record in the air-tight Western Conference leaderboard.
Let's get down and dirty with the stats now and see how things played out on the floor in this Rockets win.
#1 Seven of the Rockets' players scored in double digits
Starters James Harden, Chris Paul, Clint Capela, Eric Gordon and reserves Gerald Green, Nene Hilario and Danuel House Jr. all scored in double digits. The Trail Blazers kept trying their hardest to stop the Rockets offense before time ran out on them.
The hosts' bench stepped up big time, outscoring their Trail Blazers counterparts 37-13. This was a pleasant surprise in a season where the reserves have not been of much help to the Rockets starting lineup.
To put things into perspective, the Houston bench ranked last in the league in points per game leading into this clash.
“They won the game for us,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said of the bench. “They turned it around when we were down 15, and they came in, and Nene, Danuel House and Gerald put a lot of energy.”
James Harden finished with a team-high 29 points while Chris Paul scored his first triple-double of the season putting up 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the 34 minutes he played.
The Rockets as a team shot almost 50% from the field.