----- Victor Oladipo scores 25 points and Christian Wood records a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Houston Rockets top the Portland Trail Blazers 104-101 Thursday evening at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The Trail Blazers early advantage didn't last long in Houston.
After building an early 30-10 lead, the Rockets outscored the Blazers 41-18 on a run that bridged the first and second quarters taking a 53-50 halftime lead.
A driving layup by Victor Oladipo extended the lead to 101-98 with 26.2 seconds to play and Gary Trent Jr. missed a layup on the other end. Christian Wood made one of two free throws about 10 seconds later, before Anfernee Simons cut the lead to one with a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining.
Eric Gordon made two free throws with 2.1 seconds to go and Simons missed a shot at the buzzer to secure the win for Houston.
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 30 points for Portland (9-8), Gary Trent Jr. poured-in 23 on 7-of-13 from three-point range, Enes Kanter finished with a double-double 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Anfernee Simons scored 14 points off the bench.
Derrick Jones Jr. left the game early (foot sprain). His status for Saturday's game in Chicago is unknown at this time.
Oladipo Led Houston (8-9) with 25 points and Christian Wood finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers continue their six-game road trip Saturday in Chicago against the Bulls. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Poor defense, inconsistent effort, and injuries. Just another day at the office for the Blazers.