Anfernee Simons made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28.7 seconds left, and the Portland Trail Blazers won their second straight game against the Houston Rockets, 104-98, on Saturday.
Simons led the team with 25 points and helped Portland survive a dramatic fourth quarter with six ties and four lead changes. After Amen Thompson tied the game with a layup, Simons responded with his own layup to make it 96-96 with 1:03 left. Then, after Deni Avdija blocked a shot from Rockets’ center Alperen Sengun, Simons hit his fourth 3-pointer to give Portland the lead for good.
Shaedon Sharpe added 24 points, including two free throws that extended the lead to five points with 4.3 seconds remaining. Jerami Grant scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half. Avdija came off the bench to add 14 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Donovan Clingan grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds as the Blazers out-rebounded Houston 53-43.
The Rockets, who had defeated Portland by 28 points the previous night, shot only 35.6% in the rematch.
Sengun scored 22 points, and Thompson added 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench. However, the Rockets’ starting backcourt of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green struggled, shooting a combined 7-for-27, including 1-for-15 from three-point range. Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason scored a combined 17 points on 5-for-18 shooting, down from the 50 points they combined for on Friday.
Portland got off to another strong start, taking an early lead. Despite Houston tying the game at 12-12 with Thompson’s 3-pointer, Grant and Simons scored seven points to help the Blazers regain the lead. Grant scored 10 points as Portland led 26-21 at the end of the first quarter. In the second, Grant hit a 3-pointer, and Sharpe added a layup after the Rockets cut the lead to two points. With Brooks and VanVleet in foul trouble, Sengun stepped up to narrow the gap, and the Rockets trailed by just two at halftime, 52-50.
