James Harden scores 44 as Rockets defeat Trail Blazers
James Harden put up 44 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, 110-95. Houston (20-7) has now won seven of their last 10 games.
Harden shot 14-26 (4-9 from three-point range) in a solid outing. He also registered five steals and three rebounds. Other top performers for Houston were Dwight Howard with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Donatas Motiejunas with 10 points and eight rebounds. On 6-16 shooting, Damian Lillard put up 18 points for Portland in the loss.
In a matchup between elite defenses, Houston reigned supreme. They rank second in the NBA in defensive efficiency this season (97.80), and held Portland to just .92 points per possession. The Trail Blazers dished out 19 assists versus 22 turnovers, a ratio of just .86. They are 0-1 on the season when committing more errors than assists in a game. The Rockets, on the other hand, are 4-1 when forcing opponents beneath 1.00 in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Coming up next, the Rockets take on the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 21-7 on the year. The Trail Blazers go up against the Oklahoma City Thunder, currently 13-15 this season. The Rockets have a 1-1 record against Memphis this season. The Trail Blazers have a 1-0 record against Oklahoma City this season.
