James Harden scored 29 points (15 in the third quarter), and the Houston Rockets rallied from 15 points down in the first quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-104.
The Rockets trailed 27-12 with 4:04 left in the first quarter. They outscored the Trail Blazers 99-77 the rest of the way.
Gerald Green scored 13 points (9 on 3 3-pointers) off the bench. The Rockets had 7 players in double-digit scoring.
For the Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard scored 34 points, and CJ McCollum added 23 points.
The Rockets shot 49.4% from the field to the Trail Blazers’ 43.7% and outscored them 37-13 off the bench. The Trail Blazers forced 7 turnovers, about 4 fewer than usual for this many possessions. The Rockets’ starters were outscored 37-23 in 12 minutes together. Clint Capela fouled out.