Red-Hot Blazers Surge Past Rockets 117-107 to Notch 5th Straight Win

The Portland Trail Blazers moved one step closer to the playoffs with a 117-107 win over the Houston Rockets.

After Houston had tied the game at 105-105 in the final minutes, Portland closed on an 11-2 run to secure its fifth win in a row.

Damian Lillard won the battle of elite point guards, tallying 31 points and 11 assists. James Harden had 30 points and eight rebounds, although shooting was a problem, as he finished 11-of-30 from the field and 2-of-13 from three-point range. It appeared his wrist injury was an issue in this one.

Houston remains solidly in the third spot in the Western Conference at 51-24, while Portland gained some breathing room in the eighth spot at 37-38, 1.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets.

The Blazers finished March with a 13-3 record as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. 

The Rockets at least put themselves in the record books during the game, via NBA on TNT:

ESPN Stats and Info provided an additional note:

Going just 8-of-34 from deep in this one simply wasn't going to cut it for Houston, however. Jusuf Nurkic totaling 19 points and 11 rebounds, and six players in double figures also helped Portland walk away with the win.

The shots were falling for both teams in the first quarter, and neither side was able to gain much breathing room. The Blazers held a 32-31 advantage after one, although Houston had arguably the top highlight:

Portland pulled away a bit in the second quarter thanks to a 9-of-16 mark from three-point range in the first half. 

Calvin Watkins of ESPN summed up the game at halftime:

Lillard helped the Blazers pull away a little more with 12 points in the third quarter and some highlight-reel plays:

Houston stormed back from down by 13 in the fourth quarter. Lou Williams scored 10 of his 14 total points in the last 12 minutes, helping tie the game at 105.

However, an 8-0 run put Portland back in charge, and a Nurkic dunk in the final minute effectively sealed the win:

This represents the second loss in a row for the Rockets after a four-game winning streak. It doesn't get any easier, as they will go on the road to take on the Golden State Warriors on Friday, just three days after losing to them at home. 

The Trail Blazers will close their homestand with a matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday as they try to inch closer to a playoff spot.  

Postgame Reaction

Despite blowing a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Blazers were able to bounce back in the final few minutes.

"We trusted each other, we kept the ball moving and we got good shots," Lillard said after the game, via NBA on TNT. "We played with confidence, we showed poise and we got a big win."

These characteristics have helped the Blazers win 13 out of 16 games in March.

"We are the sum of our parts," coach Terry Stotts said, per Jason Quick of CSN Northwest. "When we get contributions up and down (and) we're not relying on Dame and CJ, it just makes us a better team."

Meanwhile, one of the bigger stories for Houston is the health of Harden. He took off the wrap on his wrist in the final few minutes after struggling with his shot and explained his decision after the game.

"Just got to hoop, man, just got to hoop and stop worrying about it and stop trying to focus on it," Harden said of the wrap, per Watkins. 

With another game Friday, there won't be much opportunity for the injury to heal.