Rockets prevail behind another Harden triple-double
HOUSTON -- James Harden posted his third triple double in five games and the Houston Rockets turned offensive blitzed in the first and third quarters into a 126-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night at Toyota Center.
Harden totaled 26 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds to pace the Rockets (7-5) while they shot 48.4 from the floor including 14 of 32 on 3-pointers. All five Houston starters reached double figures in points including guard Patrick Beverley, who scored 11 in his first start of the season following preseason left knee surgery.
Forward Trevor Ariza scored 16 points while center Clint Capela added 15. Each chipped in seven boards. Guard Eric Gordon added 16 points off the Houston bench.
Portland (7-6) received 44 points from its starting backcourt, with C.J. McCollum (26 points) and Damian Lillard (18 points, five rebounds, five assists) combining to shoot 18 for 36 from the floor. But aside from forward Maurice Harkless (19 points on 8-of-12 shooting), the Trail Blazers lacked the depth of firepower to keep pace.
With Harden posting 16 points, six rebounds and six assists in the first quarter, the Rockets raced to a 41-point period and 12-point lead entering the second quarter. But Evan Turner (12 points) keyed an 8-0 run that pulled the Trail Blazers to within six points and, after falling behind 55-46 on a Ryan Anderson 3 with 4:44 to play, Portland turned a 9-2 spurt ending the half into a 62-all tie entering the third period.
When the second half commenced, Harden and Capela worked in tandem to put the Trail Blazers down for good. Capela scored through a foul, added an alley-oop dunk off a Harden assist, and tallied a basket at the rim to stretch the lead to 83-74. Houston maintained its passing acumen, producing nine assists on 15 field goals in the third quarter to extend the lead to 100-83 entering the fourth.
NOTES: Rockets G Patrick Beverley made his return to the starting lineup after missing the first 11 games following preseason left knee surgery. Beverley will play with a minutes restriction of 20-25 minutes for the foreseeable future. ... Portland coach Terry Stotts was fitted with a walking boot on his left leg after suffering a stress reaction in his left foot. According to Stotts, the condition developed prior to the Trail Blazers' home game against the Bulls on Tuesday. He will wear the boot until his condition improves, which is an undetermined amount of time. ... Rockets C Nene was held out of action for rest. Houston is in the midst of three games in four days, having played Wednesday night at the Oklahoma City Thunder with a home game Saturday against the Utah Jazz upcoming.