Blowout win no sure thing
Despite dominating, first road victory since Jan. 19 not sealed until late
PORTLAND, Ore.
— The countdown to time to clear the benches began shortly after the opening tip.
The Rockets, however, have not picked up a lot of experience dominating shorthanded, overmatched teams on their way to the league’s worst record.
Building huge leads Friday was no problem. Resting starters, sure, the Rockets got that done. Pad stats, check and check.
It took deep into the fourth quarter before they could entirely believe the blowout assured and clear the bench.
Still, the Rockets’ 125-106 romp Friday past what’s left of the Portland Trail Blazers never really seemed threatened either on the way to the Rockets’ first road win since Jan. 19.
Christian Wood was the only starter to play in the fourth quarter, and then only for two minutes before leaving with 2:56 left and the Rockets leading by 19. He had scored just 10 points, but with 11 rebounds and five assists.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 23 points, making 9 of 16 shots in his 27 minutes.
Jae’Sean Tate added 17 points, making 7 of 10 shots in just 23 minutes, his most in 14 games, as seven Rockets players scored in double figures.
The Rockets made 51.8 percent of their shots, including 19 of 45 3-pointers, to score their way out of any hints of trouble.
Though the Rockets will likely not have too many chances to get used to domPortland inating as they did Friday, they will get another chance against the Blazers on Saturday, looking for their first winning streak since Jan. 19.
The Blazers played with eight players out with injuries, replacing them with fill-ins on 10-day and two-way contracts trying to show they belonged in the NBA.
The Rockets, without a single injury among the 17-player roster, moved out to a swift and seemingly commanding lead. But unaccustomed as the Rockets are to being on a blowout end of a mismatch, they struggled to put the win safely away.
That will happen with a team, and especially with a young and inexperienced second unit that does not reliably defend. The Blazers made 50 percent of their shots, even while making just 3 of 20 3-pointers, the fewest for a Rockets opponent this season.
Scoring, however, was too easy for the Rockets for Portland to ever mount much of a charge.
After wasting much of their run to an 18-point lead less than eight minutes into the game, the Rockets seemed to shoot their way back into the rout that seemed certain from the opening tip.
They made five 3-pointers in the first 5½ minutes of the second half, building a 23-point lead. As capable as the Rockets are to give up points in bunches, there seemed little the Blazers could do to slow the Rockets on the other end.
went to a zone, which did not seem ideal for defending a team happily firing away from deep. But that did slow things down a great deal, so when the Rockets did misfire and turn the ball over for a few minutes, Portland had a 13-2 run that brought them within 11 in the final minute of the third quarter, which considering the start seemed surprisingly close. It did not last.
The way things started, it seemed the game would not offer much to see beyond the Rockets pursuit of 3point shooting records, and whatever Green and K.J. Martin could do to make dunks more spectacular or smashing.
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups needed to see just 89 seconds to call a time out. In less than eight minutes, the Rockets had made 10 of 12 shots to lead by 18. They had made 6 of 8 3-pointers, sinking more than they had in the entire game in Dallas on Wednesday.
When the Rockets’ starters sat, however, the defense went with them, with the Blazers bringing a few of their more veteran available players in off the bench, and making a move.
Even when the Rockets’ starters returned to close the half, they were not getting stops as they had been. The shooting cooled, too, though they had been so hot to start it almost had to. The Rockets made 3 of 13 3s after their rapid eightminute rush of scoring to open the game.
After leading by 20 midway through the second quarter, the Rockets saw the Blazers respond with a 9-0 run. The Rockets brought a 66-53 lead into the second half, though that seemed small compared to what seemed possible and even expected.