Blazers turn back Rockets, tighten postseason race

[August 05, 2020]  Damian Lillard registered 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to help the Portland Trail Blazers post a 110-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night near Orlando, Fla.

CJ McCollum contributed 20 points and seven rebounds, and Jusuf Nurkic added 18 points, 19 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Trail Blazers (31-38), who moved within 1 1/2 games of the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference race.

Gary Trent Jr. scored 16 points and Carmelo Anthony had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Portland. The Trail Blazers are 2-1 since play resumed as they attempt to land a play-in spot against the Grizzlies.

James Harden recorded 23 points and nine assists for the Rockets (42-25), who are tied with the Utah Jazz for the fourth-best record in the West.

Jeff Green scored 22 points and Danuel House Jr. added 17 for Houston. Russell Westbrook tallied 15 as his streak of consecutive 20-point performances ended at 36.

Trent knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the game to give the Trail Blazers a 103-100 lead with 2:53 remaining.

Nearly two minutes later, Anthony nailed a 3-pointer to give Portland a 107-102 edge, and Lillard hit two free throws for a seven-point lead with 24.9 seconds to play as Portland closed it out.

The Trail Blazers shot 41.1 percent from the field -- including 12 of 31 from 3-point range -- and owned a 64-39 rebounding edge.

The Rockets shot 39.1 percent from the field and were 19 of 53 from behind the arc. Green made five 3-pointers and House sank four, but Houston suffered its first loss in three games in the restart.

Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket against the Portland Trail Blazers at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Harden drew his fifth foul with 5:06 left in the third quarter and didn't return until 8:37 remained. The score was tied at 88, but Lillard drained a 3-pointer with 7:55 left to put the Trail Blazers back ahead.

A basket by Lillard lifted Portland's lead to 97-91 with 6:09 remaining before Houston rallied to knot the score at 98 when Green split two free throws with 4:52 left.

The Rockets trailed by as many as 13 in the second quarter but were within 76-74 after Ben McLemore buried a 3-pointer with 4:48 left in the third quarter.

The Trail Blazers settled for an 86-80 edge entering the final stanza.

Green knocked down a 3-pointer to get Houston even at 88 with 9:24 remaining shortly before Harden re-entered the contest.

Portland held a 37-15 rebounding advantage in the first half while leading 61-56 at the break.

--Field Level Media

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