Game ID: 22301038
Portland Trail Blazers @ Houston Rockets
Monday, March 25, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 28 19 33 30 110POR 25 26 20 21 92
HOU vs POR ScoutingHOU vs POR Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
HOU availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 2 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 13 min since (75% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 11 min since (70% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/19 · 2 days' restOUT Whitmore missed 3 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 16 min since (95% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 13 min since (84% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 20 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 4 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 16 min since (97% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 14 min since (86% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 21 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 5 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 12 min since (73% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 6 since 3/12, out tonight
NEW Thompson 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Landale 14 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 7 since 3/12, out tonight
NEW Thompson 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Je. Green 17 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Landale 14 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 8 since 3/12, out tonight
NEW Ja. Green 32 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Landale 14 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/31 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 9 since 3/12, returns tonight: 22 min (118% of 19)
NEW Ja. Green 32 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 22 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Je. Green 17 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Landale 14 to 24 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/02 · 1 day's restBACK Whitmore back 3/31 after 9, 22 min since (118% of 19)
NEW Ja. Green 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Landale 14 to 23 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT Sharpe missed 30 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 20 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Grant back 3/11 after 2, 36 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Ayton back 3/09 after 5, 38 min since (118% of 32)
BACK Henderson back 3/09 after 8, 25 min since (89% of 28)
BACK Walker back 3/16 after 5, 17 min since (72% of 24)
BACK Hagans back 3/14 after 3, 22 min since (133% of 17)
BACK Rupert back 3/16 after 2, 12 min since (72% of 16)
BACK Minaya back 3/13 after 2, 10 min since (88% of 11)
BACK Badji back 3/16 after 8, 2 min since (17% of 10)
NEW Camara 25 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 27 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/20 · 1 day's restOUT Sharpe missed 31 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Hagans missed 2 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 21 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Grant back 3/11 after 2, 36 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Walker back 3/16 after 5, 25 min since (107% of 24)
BACK Rupert back 3/16 after 2, 8 min since (47% of 16)
BACK Minaya back 3/13 after 2, 10 min since (88% of 11)
BACK Badji back 3/16 after 8, 2 min since (17% of 10)
NEW Ayton 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 28 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Sharpe missed 32 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Hagans missed 3 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 2 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 22 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Walker back 3/16 after 5, 24 min since (104% of 24)
BACK Rupert back 3/16 after 2, 12 min since (72% of 16)
BACK Minaya back 3/13 after 2, 9 min since (81% of 11)
NEW Murray 22 to 30 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/23 · back-to-backOUT Sharpe missed 33 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 2 since 3/20, out tonight
OUT Hagans missed 4 since 3/16, returns tonight: 21 min (129% of 17)
OUT Badji missed 3 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 23 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Walker back 3/16 after 5, 25 min since (107% of 24)
BACK Rupert back 3/16 after 2, 15 min since (90% of 16)
NEW Murray 22 to 31 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Sharpe missed 34 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 2 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 3 since 3/20, out tonight
OUT Minaya missed 2 since 3/22, returns tonight: 5 min (47% of 11)
OUT Badji missed 4 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 24 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Walker back 3/16 after 5, 25 min since (108% of 24)
BACK Hagans back 3/23 after 4, 21 min since (129% of 17)
BACK Rupert back 3/16 after 2, 15 min since (91% of 16)
NEW Murray 22 to 32 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Simons missed 2 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 35 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 3 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 4 since 3/20, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 5 since 3/18, returns tonight: 2 min (16% of 10)
OUT Moore missed 25 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Hagans back 3/23 after 4, 22 min since (136% of 17)
BACK Minaya back 3/25 after 2, 5 min since (47% of 11)
NEW Murray 22 to 33 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Simons missed 3 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 36 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 4 since 3/22, returns tonight: 25 min (76% of 32)
OUT Thybulle missed 5 since 3/20, returns tonight: 7 min (31% of 23)
OUT Moore missed 26 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Hagans back 3/23 after 4, 20 min since (122% of 17)
BACK Minaya back 3/25 after 2, 3 min since (31% of 11)
BACK Badji back 3/27 after 5, 2 min since (16% of 10)
NEW Camara 25 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Reath 18 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 24 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/01 · 2 days' restOUT Simons missed 4 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 37 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 27 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Ayton back 3/29 after 4, 25 min since (76% of 32)
BACK Thybulle back 3/29 after 5, 7 min since (31% of 23)
BACK Hagans back 3/23 after 4, 20 min since (122% of 17)
BACK Minaya back 3/25 after 2, 6 min since (52% of 11)
BACK Badji back 3/27 after 5, 5 min since (52% of 10)
NEW Camara 25 to 34 min over the last 4
NEW Murray 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Reath 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 25 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restOUT Simons missed 5 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 38 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 28 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Ayton back 3/29 after 4, 30 min since (94% of 32)
BACK Thybulle back 3/29 after 5, 7 min since (31% of 23)
BACK Hagans back 3/23 after 4, 18 min since (111% of 17)
BACK Minaya back 3/25 after 2, 6 min since (52% of 11)
BACK Badji back 3/27 after 5, 5 min since (52% of 10)
NEW Banton 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Camara 25 to 35 min over the last 3
NEW Walker 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 27 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 34 and VanVleet at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Whitmore (6 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Simons at 18 and Henderson at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Sharpe (34 straight), Ayton (2 straight), Thybulle (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-6 a night and Portland minus-1 and the arc, Houston at 41 percent from three to Portland's 37. Call it Houston 121, Portland 110, Houston by 11.
3/16 vs CLE 117-103 — HOU notes
HOU won 117-103. HOU shot 48% (47 of 98) to CLE's 45%, 15 of 42 from three, and got to the line 12 times to CLE's 20. HOU turned it over 9 times to CLE's 15. Ja. Green led with 26 (9 of 20, 4 of 9 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Smith Jr. added 20, Thompson 18. The hinge was Q2, 36-25: a lead of 5 became 16, and the lead reached 27. Smith Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
3/19 @ WAS 137-114 — HOU notes
HOU won 137-114. HOU shot 52% (47 of 91) to WAS's 43%, 13 of 39 from three, and went to the line 36 times to WAS's 20 — 30 points from the stripe to their 15. Ja. Green led with 42 (12 of 21, 7 of 13 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); Thompson added 25, Smith Jr. 18. The hinge was Q3, 41-25: a lead of 3 became 19, and the lead reached 25. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
3/21 vs CHI 127-117 — HOU notes
HOU won 127-117. HOU shot 51% (47 of 93) to CHI's 45%, 17 of 45 from three. J. Green led with 26 (10 of 22, 4 of 12 from three); Brooks added 23, Landale 17. The hinge was Q1, 42-28: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 19. Je. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
3/23 vs UTA 147-119 — HOU notes
HOU won 147-119. HOU shot 56% (54 of 97) to UTA's 45%, 27 of 49 from three, and got to the line 14 times to UTA's 33. Ja. Green led with 41 (15 of 22, 7 of 11 from three); VanVleet added 34, Je. Green 21. The hinge was Q1, 47-21: from level to 26 ahead, and the lead reached 35. Ja. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
3/25 vs POR 110-92 — HOU notes
HOU won 110-92. HOU shot 40% (37 of 93) to POR's 41%, 12 of 39 from three, and went to the line 25 times to POR's 15 — 24 points from the stripe to their 13. HOU turned it over 8 times to POR's 16. Ja. Green led with 27 (9 of 26, 4 of 12 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Landale added 17, VanVleet 15. The hinge was Q3, 33-20: HOU came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 20. HOU trailed 47-51 at the half and won the second half 63-41. Landale was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
3/27 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 22 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 32 and VanVleet at 16 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 39 percent from three to OKC's 33. Call it OKC 116, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
3/29 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 29 from three, 23 free throws a game; Markkanen at 27 and Sexton at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Lofton Jr. (9 straight), Dunn (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 35 and Thompson at 16 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 39 percent from three to Utah's 29 and the defense, Houston allowing 114 a night to Utah's 122. Call it Houston 121, Utah 114.
3/31 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 33 and VanVleet at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (9 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 102, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Dončić at 27 and Irving at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Green (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Dallas allowing 102 a night to Houston's 111. Call it Houston 115, Dallas 113, Dallas keeping it close.
4/02 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 100, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 19 and Conley at 17 a game. Without Towns (12 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 30 and VanVleet at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 100 a night to Houston's 112. Call it Minnesota 113, Houston 108.
3/18 @ CHI 107-110 — POR notes
POR lost 107-110. POR shot 45% (40 of 88) to CHI's 44%, 8 of 28 from three. Simons led with 30 (10 of 24, 4 of 14 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Ayton added 25, Henderson 14. Q4 was theirs, 32-21, the deficit cut from 14 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 89-75 against them. Camara's -10 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/20 vs LAC 103-116 — POR notes
POR lost 103-116. POR shot 48% (39 of 81) to LAC's 52%, 15 of 34 from three. POR turned it over 17 times to LAC's 11, and LAC turned those into 15 steals. Henderson led with 18 (6 of 15, 2 of 5 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Murray added 17, Simons 14. Q4 was theirs, 33-22, the deficit cut from 24 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 94-70 against them. Simons's -17 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/22 vs LAC 117-125 — POR notes
POR lost 117-125. POR took 16 more shots (93 to 77), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 48% to LAC's 57%, 12 of 33 from three. POR turned it over 10 times to LAC's 17. Henderson led with 24 (8 of 18, 3 of 6 from three); Murray added 21, Banton 17. Q4 was theirs, 37-24, the deficit cut from 21 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 101-80 against them.
3/23 vs DEN 111-114 — POR notes
POR lost 111-114. POR shot 46% (43 of 93) to DEN's 45%, 10 of 28 from three, and got to the line 17 times to DEN's 33. Reath led with 24 (9 of 14, 3 of 6 from three); Henderson added 22, Camara 16. Q3 was theirs, 36-28, the deficit cut from 10 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 86-75 against them.
3/25 @ HOU 92-110 — POR notes
POR lost 92-110. POR shot 41% (36 of 87) to HOU's 40%, 7 of 33 from three, and got to the line 15 times to HOU's 25. POR turned it over 16 times to HOU's 8. Banton led with 28 (11 of 21, 2 of 9 from three); Henderson added 15, Camara 12. Q2 was theirs, 26-19, turning a 3-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 91-66 against them. Banton's -25 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/27 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Murray at 22 and Hunter at 17 a game. Without Young (15 straight), Johnson (3 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Henderson at 19 and Banton at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Simons (2 straight), Sharpe (35 straight), Ayton (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Atlanta at 40 percent from three to Portland's 33 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 14 times a game to Atlanta's 10. Call it Atlanta 118, Portland 110.
3/29 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 102, shooting 42 percent and 33 from three, 17 free throws a game; Butler III at 21 and Adebayo at 18 a game. Without Herro (16 straight), Robinson (4 straight), Richardson (19 straight). 2 days' rest. Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Banton at 20 and Henderson at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Simons (3 straight), Sharpe (36 straight), Ayton (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the defense, Miami allowing 102 a night to Portland's 117 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 15 times a game to Miami's 9. Call it Miami 112, Portland 105.
4/01 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 101, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Banchero at 19 and F. Wagner at 15 a game. One day's rest. Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 16 free throws a game; Banton at 20 and Henderson at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Simons (4 straight), Sharpe (37 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the defense, Orlando allowing 101 a night to Portland's 122 and the arc, Orlando at 38 percent from three to Portland's 31. Call it Orlando 115, Portland 103, Orlando by 12.
4/03 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Bridges at 22 and Miller at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 14 free throws a game; Banton at 22 and Henderson at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Simons (5 straight), Sharpe (38 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Portland giving it away 16 times a game to Charlotte's 10 and the glass, where Portland has been minus-3 a night and Charlotte minus-8. Call it Charlotte 113, Portland 109, Portland keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAH A. Holiday
AT A. Thompson
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
JG Je. Green
RB R. Bullock Jr.
PORAH A. Hagans
DB D. Banton
DR D. Reath
JM J. Minaya
JW J. Walker
KM K. Murray
MB M. Brown
RR R. Rupert
SH S. Henderson
TC T. Camara
HOU/POR the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jalen Green’s 27 points leads Rockets over Trail Blazers for 9th straight win
HOUSTON -- — Jalen Green scored 27 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 110-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
It was the Rockets' ninth straight win, their longest winning streak since 2019.
At 36-35, Houston is now just a half game behind Golden State for the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
“For sure, I’m looking at it,” Green said of the standings. “I was watching the Warriors last night. We’re making a push, and we’re executing so we’ve just got to stay the course.”
Green entered Monday tied for fourth in the NBA in scoring in March with 27.8 points per game on 51.4% shooting. Against Portland, he made 9 of 26 shots, including 4 of 12 from 3.
“He was kind of forcing it a little bit early and looked a little anxious, but he grinded it out and played the right way,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “It was huge for him to come out in the second half like that.”
Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. was out, serving a one-game suspension for his Saturday night fight with Jazz guard Kris Dunn . In his place, Jock Landale had a season-high 17 points and added nine rebounds.
“His energy really got us back in the game,” Udoka said. “His energy has been huge lately, and we really needed it tonight with a few guys struggling early.”
Houston outscored Portland 33-20 in the third quarter, taking an 80-71 lead into the fourth after trailing 51-47 at halftime.
Portland suffered its seventh straight loss and fell to 4-13 since the All-Star break.
Dalano Banton led the Blazers with 28 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Scoot Henderson added 15 points.
“We need to keep our defensive intensity up,” Henderson said. “That’s going to give us a chance every night — defensive intensity, moving the ball and just making the game easier for ourselves and not trying to one-on-one the whole game because we can’t win like that.”
In Saturday night’s loss to Denver , Portland became the second team to start five rookies since NBA box scores started tracking starters in the 1971-72 season. The Blazers started the same five rookies on Monday night.
Portland briefly held a nine-point lead in the first quarter but entered the second quarter down 28-25.
“I thought we had a really good first half and had some good moments in that third quarter, but the game kind of turned,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “They picked up their defensive pressure, and we just didn’t respond well to it. Give them credit. They turned it up when they needed to, defensively, against a young group.”
The Blazers were missing Deandre Ayton (left elbow tendinitis), Anfernee Simons (left knee tendinitis), Malcolm Brogdon (right elbow tendinitis) and Jerami Grant (right hamstring strain).