Game ID: 22301183
Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers
Friday, April 12, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Moda Center, Portland, OR
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
POR 24 16 35 32 107HOU 23 31 30 32 116
HOU @ POR ScoutingHOU @ 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.
POR availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Simons missed 6 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 39 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 2 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Minaya missed 2 since 4/01, returns tonight: 26 min (228% of 11)
OUT Badji missed 2 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 29 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Ayton back 3/29 after 4, 33 min since (101% of 32)
NEW Banton 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Henderson 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Walker 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 31 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Simons missed 7 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 40 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 3 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 3 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 30 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Ayton back 3/29 after 4, 35 min since (107% of 32)
BACK Minaya back 4/05 after 2, 26 min since (228% of 11)
NEW Henderson 28 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Walker 24 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 33 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Simons missed 8 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 41 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 4 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Hagans missed 2 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 4 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 31 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Ayton back 3/29 after 4, 35 min since (107% of 32)
BACK Minaya back 4/05 after 2, 24 min since (217% of 11)
NEW Henderson 28 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Walker 24 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 32 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Simons missed 9 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 42 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 5 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Hagans missed 3 since 4/05, returns tonight: 14 min (82% of 17)
OUT Badji missed 5 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 32 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Minaya back 4/05 after 2, 23 min since (208% of 11)
NEW Henderson 28 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Walker 24 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 33 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/12 · back-to-backOUT Simons missed 10 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 43 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 6 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 6 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Moore missed 33 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Hagans back 4/11 after 3, 14 min since (82% of 17)
BACK Minaya back 4/05 after 2, 25 min since (222% of 11)
NEW Henderson 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Walker 24 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 32 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restOUT Simons missed 11 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 44 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Thybulle missed 7 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 7 since 4/01, returns tonight: 10 min (99% of 10)
OUT Moore missed 34 since 1/31, returns tonight: 30 min (298% of 10)
BACK Hagans back 4/11 after 3, 14 min since (82% of 17)
BACK Minaya back 4/05 after 2, 26 min since (228% of 11)
NEW Banton 29 to 35 min over the last 4
NEW Henderson 28 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Walker 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Murray 22 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Rupert 16 to 31 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/05 · back-to-backBACK Whitmore back 3/31 after 9, 23 min since (122% of 19)
NEW Ja. Green 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Landale 14 to 20 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restBACK Whitmore back 3/31 after 9, 22 min since (119% of 19)
NEW Thompson 22 to 29 min over the last 4
NEW Landale 14 to 21 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restBACK Whitmore back 3/31 after 9, 22 min since (116% of 19)
NEW Landale 14 to 19 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restNEW Landale 14 to 20 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/12 · back-to-backNEW Thompson 22 to 28 min over the last 4
NEW Landale 14 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restNEW Thompson 22 to 29 min over the last 4
NEW Landale 14 to 25 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 104, shooting 41 percent and 31 from three, 15 free throws a game; Ayton at 27 and Henderson at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Simons (10 straight), Sharpe (43 straight), Thybulle (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 126, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 26 free throws a game; VanVleet at 25 and Smith Jr. at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Portland has been plus-9 a night and Houston minus-9 and the defense, Portland allowing 104 a night to Houston's 126. Call it Portland 113, Houston 111, Houston keeping it close.
4/05 @ WAS 108-102 — POR notes
POR won 108-102. POR shot 44% (41 of 94) to WAS's 43%, 9 of 29 from three, and got to the line 24 times to WAS's 30. The glass went 55-45 for them. Ayton led with 34 (13 of 25, 8 of 9 at the line); Banton added 21, Henderson 19. The hinge was Q1, 32-27: from level to 5 ahead. Banton was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
4/07 @ BOS 107-124 — POR notes
POR lost 107-124. POR took 15 more shots (102 to 87), fed by 22 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to BOS's 56%, 14 of 38 from three. The glass went 53-40 for them. Banton led with 28 (11 of 23, 3 of 9 from three); Ayton added 22, Henderson 15. Q2 was theirs, 32-33, but the other 3 periods went 91-75 against them. Rupert's -24 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/09 vs NOP 100-110 — POR notes
POR lost 100-110. POR shot 47% (40 of 85) to NOP's 41%, 13 of 38 from three, and got to the line just 8 times against 19 fouls committed. POR turned it over 21 times to NOP's 9, and NOP turned those into 13 steals. Ayton led with 30 (15 of 22); Henderson added 19, Murray 14. Q2 was theirs, 28-24, turning a 1-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them. They led by as many as 11. Henderson's -31 in 41 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/11 vs GSW 92-100 — POR notes
POR lost 92-100. POR took 20 more shots (97 to 77), fed by 20 offensive rebounds, but shot 36% to GSW's 47%, 8 of 34 from three. Ayton led with 25 (12 of 24); Henderson added 18, Walker 17. Q3 was theirs, 28-26, the deficit cut from 3 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 74-64 against them. Minaya's -20 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/12 vs HOU 107-116 — POR notes
POR lost 107-116. POR shot 39% (37 of 95) to HOU's 48%, 12 of 35 from three, and went to the line 29 times to HOU's 20 — 21 points from the stripe to their 17. Henderson led with 30 (10 of 23, 6 of 7 from three); Banton added 28, Murray 10. Q3 was theirs, 35-30, the deficit cut from 14 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them.
4/14 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 107, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Fox at 30 and Murray at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 110, shooting 41 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Ayton at 23 and Banton at 22 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Simons (11 straight), Sharpe (44 straight), Thybulle (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Sacramento 114, Portland 106.
4/05 vs MIA 104-119 — HOU notes
HOU lost 104-119. HOU shot 38% (34 of 90) to MIA's 49%, 14 of 44 from three. Ja. Green led with 21 (6 of 18, 2 of 9 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Brooks added 18, Smith Jr. 15. Q1 was theirs, 27-27, but the other 3 periods went 92-77 against them. VanVleet's -20 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/07 @ DAL 136-147 — HOU notes
HOU lost 136-147 in 1 overtime. HOU took 8 more shots (93 to 85), but shot 49% to DAL's 54%, 17 of 41 from three, and got to the line 35 times to DAL's 45. HOU turned it over 10 times to DAL's 17. The glass went 32-47 against them. Brooks led with 29 (9 of 14, 5 of 6 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); VanVleet added 24, Ja. Green 21. Q1 was theirs, 42-27, but the other 4 periods went 120-94 against them. They led by as many as 22.
4/09 vs ORL 118-106 — HOU notes
HOU won 118-106. HOU shot 52% (45 of 86) to ORL's 45%, 15 of 35 from three. VanVleet led with 37 (13 of 22, 6 of 11 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Smith Jr. added 23, Brooks 15. The hinge was Q1, 36-25: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 19. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
4/11 @ UTA 121-124 — HOU notes
HOU lost 121-124. HOU took 8 more shots (95 to 87), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 42% to UTA's 51%, 21 of 47 from three. The glass went 39-49 against them. VanVleet led with 42 (12 of 30, 9 of 13 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Whitmore added 18, Thompson 15. Q1 was theirs, 38-28, but the other 3 periods went 96-83 against them. They led by as many as 12. Ja. Green's -23 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/12 @ POR 116-107 — HOU notes
HOU won 116-107. HOU shot 48% (44 of 92) to POR's 39%, 11 of 39 from three, and got to the line 20 times to POR's 29. Ja. Green led with 26 (10 of 20, 5 of 10 from three); Landale added 20, Holiday 18. The hinge was Q2, 31-16: HOU came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 14, and the lead reached 20. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
4/14 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; George at 22 and Hyland at 17 a game. They have won the glass by 8 a night. Without Leonard (7 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; VanVleet at 29 and Ja. Green at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-8 a night and Houston minus-7 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to Houston's 121. Call it the Clippers 117, Houston 113, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PORDA D. Ayton
DB D. Banton
DR D. Reath
JM J. Minaya
JW J. Walker
KM K. Murray
MB M. Brown
RR R. Rupert
SH S. Henderson
HOUAH A. Holiday
AT A. Thompson
CW C. Whitmore
DB D. Brooks
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JG Ja. Green
JG Je. Green
RB R. Bullock Jr.
POR/HOU 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 has 26 points and Houston cruises to 116-107 win over Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. -- — Jalen Green had 26 points and the Houston Rockets spoiled Portland's final game at home this season with a 116-107 victory Friday night.
Jock Landale had 20 points and Aaron Holiday came of the bench to score 18 for Houston, which had already been eliminated from playoff contention. Rookie Amen Thompson had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, playing the second of a back-to-back.
“I was just trying to go hard, bounce back after last night. I felt the team, we brought the energy today, so it was good," Thompson said, reflecting on a lackluster loss to the Jazz the night before.
Scoot Henderson had 30 points for the Trail Blazers, who have lost four in a row and 14 of their last 16 with one game left. Portland was second-to-last in the Western Conference.
Houston (40-41) led by 20 points in the third quarter but the Blazers narrowed it to 82-73 on Henderson's dunk and free throw. Henderson added a step-back jumper to get Portland closer.
Cam Whitmore 's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter extended Houston's lead to double digits again and the Rockets cruised the rest of the way.
“It was a little slow to start, but we had a good second quarter,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “A lot of guys stepped up did a lot of good things.”
The Rockets were without Fred VanVleet because of a right hip contusion. VanVleet has averaged 17.4 points with a career-high 8.1 assists. He scored a season-high 42 points Thursday in a 124-121 loss to the Utah Jazz .
Thompson, who also had six assists, helped pick up the slack.
“I love experiences like that, getting to develop in different positions, point guard, everything,” he said.
Portland (21-60) had shut down many of its regular starters earlier this month, including Anfernee Simons (left knee tendonitis), Jerami Grant (right hamstring) and Matisse Thybulle (right ankle). The Blazers were coming off a 100-92 loss to the Warriors the night before.
The game showcased a trio of rookies, Portland's Henderson and Houston's Thompson and Whitmore, who finished with 11 points.
“I was happy to see him come in and really dominate the game today and take care of the ball. One turnover. That was my big takeaway for him, especially against a team like that, that pressures and turns you over, and plays physical,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said about Henderson.
Henderson's bank shot gave the Blazers a 16-9 lead in the first quarter but the Rockets closed the gap to 24-23 to start the second.
The Rockets went on a 16-5 run, capped by Thompson's basket that gave Houston a 41-29 lead. Henderson hit a 3-pointer from midcourt to slow the momentum, but the Rockets led 54-50 at the half.
Dillon Brooks ' 3-pointer gave the Rockets a 62-42 lead in the third quarter. Green got tangled up with Moses Brown , who appeared to inadvertently step on his foot late in the quarter. Green left the court but returned midway through the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Close out the season on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Trail Blazers: Visit Sacramento on Sunday for the final game of the season.