Harden scores 48 as Houston defeats Blazers 124-117

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – James Harden scored 48 points and the Houston Rockets won their ninth straight, overcoming a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-117 on Saturday night.

Harden was 16 of 29 from the field and had eight rebounds to help the Rockets (20-4) win for the 12th time in 13 road games this season. Chris Paul added 24 points, and Trevor Ariza had 13.

Damian Lillard tied a franchise record with nine 3-pointers and had 35 points for Portland (13-12). C.J. McCollum had 28 points, and Al-Farouq Aminu added 15, all on 3-pointers.

Portland put Houston in a hole early in the third quarter, scoring 11 consecutive points to take a 78-72 lead. The lead grew was at 14 late in the third quarter when Lillard limped to the bench, favoring his right foot.

With Lillard’s foot on ice, Houston launched a rally, pulling to 103-98 when Lillard returned with seven minutes remaining. But the Rockets had momentum, and took a 110-109 lead on Ariza’s 3-pointer.

The Rockets never trailed again, outscoring Portland 14-6 during the final three minutes.

Lillard hit a pair of 3-pointers but also drew two fouls during the first three minutes. Midway through the first quarter, Lillard stepped in front of Paul and earned a charging foul, touching off a battle of words that resulted in technicals to Portland’s Meyers Leonard and Paul.

Lillard’s 3-pointer gave Portland its largest lead of the first half at 57-46, but Houston outscored the Blazers 16-5 during the final 5:37 to pull even at 62 at halftime.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Houston is 10-0 with Paul in the lineup. Paul missed 14 games with a knee injury. The 12-1 road record is Houston’s best since the 1996-97 season. Nene returned to action after missing one game with a corneal abrasion. … Houston plays its next seven games at home. Harden has scored at least 20 points in each of Houston’s 24 games this season, only the second player to accomplish such a feat since the 1990-91 season.

Trail Blazers: Portland had fresh faces in its starting lineup, as Leonard made his first start and guard Evan Turner his second start of the season. They were replacements for injured Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) and Maurice Harkless (quad). The Blazers hit a season-high nine 3-pointers during the first half. Portland begins a five-game road trip Monday at Golden State.

UP NEXT

Rockets: Host New Orleans on Monday night.

Trail Blazers: At Golden State on Monday night.

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