Blazers run out of fuel, lose to rockets

The Houston Rockets came into Portland Saturday night and defeated the Trail Blazers 125-103. The Rockets imposed their style and pace of play to wear down the Blazers to pull away in the second half.

The Blazers, who got Jerami Grant back after missing eight games, trailed 51-50 at halftime as they matched the Rockets for rebounds, loose balls and paint points. Unfortunately for Rip City, the team with the second-best record in the Western Conference made the appropriate adjustments at halftime. In particular, they began to take and hit the three-point shot. Houston is at the bottom of the league in long-range shooting, but since Portland was one of the worst teams in the league at defending the long ball, The Rockets took advantage.

This was a good benchmark game for the Blazers, who aim to make a leap in the coming years, just like the Rockets have. Let’s dive into the game with five points of extended analysis.

MVP of the game

Jabari Walker, who has been stuck at the end of the bench for most of the season, is my MVP for the game. Walker was able to get into the game sooner than usual because the Blazers are still shorthanded at center and are missing Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan. The Blazers needed someone to match up with Alperen Sengun and battle the Rockets for rebounds. Fortunately for the Blazers, Walker’s superpower is fighting for rebounds, chasing down loose balls and outmuscling the opposing team’s big men.

Walker was also strong on the offensive end. Two drives to the rim stood out to me at the 4:50 and 3:20 marks in the second quarter. Walker has good touch around the rim and was able to take advantage of Houston’s weak interior defense. Walker’s stats may not jump out at you, but his impact was felt across the team. It’s good to see him play well when his number is called.

Scoot back off the bench

Scoot Henderson may be playing the best basketball of his young NBA career. His streak started three games ago when he got a start against Brooklyn Nets. Coach Chauncey Billups made the decision to bring Henderson back off the bench, which was a risky decision. Much has been made of Billups’ coaching tenure with the Blazers; not riding the hot hand was a head scratcher.

Henderson entered at the 8:52 mark of the first quarter and immediately hit Toumani Camara with a beautiful inside pass for a layup. Scoot was off to the races and 21 points.

I continue to be impressed by Henderson’s court vision. He would finish with 11 assists. It could have been 17 or 18 if his teammates had converted on open shots.

Scoot’s defense was also effective against veterans Dillon Brooks and Fed VanVleet, recording three blocks and a steal. When Scoot was on the floor, the Blazers had a +/- of +3, showing that his play had a positive effect.

Rebounding or lack thereof

The Rockets are number one in the NBA in offensive rebounding and it showed tonight. Houston finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That was the difference for them. The Blazers were able to get stops and made it difficult for the Rockets to finish at the rim, but giving up all those second-chance points killed them and seemingly their spirit. Missing Clingan and Ayton had an effect on the game and we saw it every time the Rockets crashed the boards.

Attack without setting down

The Blazers were able to hang in this game because they made an effort to attack the rim and not settle for the three-point shot.

Kris Murray is growing in confidence and looking stronger as he drives to the paint. He looks to score and draw contact. There was a play with 5.3 seconds left in the first half when Steven Adams switched to him at the three-point line. Most players would step up and settle for a contested three at the buzzer. Murray knew he could drive past Adams and he did. The end result would be a foul at the rim and two free throws.

Toumani Camara likes to settle for the long shot. Most of the time that’s a good thing, but when the defense shuts down, being able to put the ball on the floor and drive will only help grow his offense. Camara had weaker defenders on him tonight and I counted five drives to the rim that resulted in a score or a foul. Although he is a left-handed shooter, Camara finds strength when driving on the right. It was on display tonight. Camara would finish the night with 17 points and shot 7-12 from the field.

Looking for lineups

The Blazers have used over 25 different lineup combinations this year. That shouldn’t be a surprise given all the injuries and young players on the team. Tonight, the Blazers deployed a rarely used lineup of Henderson, Sharpe, Camara, Grant and Robert Williams III. Although they were not on the floor long, their +/- was +8. They looked comfortable on both ends of the floor. This lineup confused Houston and was able to lock them down on defense. The interchangeability of the guards/wings and the length of Grant and Williams could make it a viable lineup against any team. Coach Billups still seems to be searching for combinations that work for the Blazers. I hope he remembers this one.

Next

Box score

The Blazers face the Chicago Bulls tomorrow night with a Pacific kickoff at 18.00.