HOUSTON — The Portland Trail Blazers came out firing, but the Houston Rockets had the last — and loudest — run.
Behind a 29-17 fourth quarter, Houston flipped a tight game into a 106-99 win Saturday night at Toyota Center, overcoming a Portland team that led after the first and third quarters and controlled the early tempo.
How the game turned
Portland’s best stretch came early. The Blazers dropped 34 points in the first quarter to grab a 34-27 lead, putting Houston on its heels with pace and shot-making.
Houston steadied the game in the second, winning the quarter 30-22 to take a 57-56 halftime edge. That swing mattered: it pulled the Rockets out of a track meet and into a possession-by-possession game where their execution could show.
Portland answered again after the break, taking the third 26-20 to reclaim the lead, 82-77. But the fourth belonged to Houston — a two-way close that held Portland to 17 points while the Rockets generated 29, the defining margin in a seven-point final.
Execution late: Houston’s edge
Neither team posted eye-popping assist totals, but Houston’s 23 assists to Portland’s 20 reflected cleaner offense when the game tightened. In a fourth quarter where every empty trip carried weight, Houston’s ability to create and convert enough assisted looks separated it from a Portland group that stalled late.
By the numbers
Final: Rockets 106, Trail Blazers 99
Quarter scores: POR 34-22-26-17 (99), HOU 27-30-20-29 (106)
Assists: Houston 23, Portland 20
What it means going forward
For Houston (39-23), the win reinforced a familiar formula: survive the opponent’s hot stretches, keep the game within reach, then close with structure and stops. The Rockets’ recent form has been uneven (WLWLW), but this was the kind of finish that travels — and matters as the season narrows toward the postseason.
For Portland (30-34), the loss was a missed opportunity. The Blazers won the first and third quarters, built multiple leads, and still couldn’t manufacture enough offense in the final 12 minutes. With their form also fluctuating (LWLLW), the late-game offense — and the ability to sustain pressure for four quarters — remains the swing skill in games like this.