The Portland Trail Blazers (27 - 27) defeated the Houston Rockets (27 - 28) 116 - 103 at Moda Center on Wednesday. Damian Lillard was one of the controversial names left off the Western Conference All-Star roster, as he was the only player in the top 10 in scoring to not make the team. Lillard got the best of the Rockets, especially in the fourth quarter, aptly named "Lillard Time" by the Blazers fans and finished with 31 points, three rebounds, nine assists and three steals on 9 - of - 22 shooting. The Weber State point guard dropped 13 points in the fourth quarter, including two clutch three - pointers. Portland entered the fourth quarter with an 11 point lead, and continued to stave off James Harden’s comeback attempts. Maurice Harkless stepped up in his starting frontcourt role, completing a double - double by dominating the glass, as he finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds on 8 - of - 11 shooting. Lillard’s backcourt partner, CJ McCollum added 14 points, while Myles Leonard and Gerald Henderson combined for 27 points off the bench. The Blazers will continue to battle for a Western Conference playoff seed when they host the Golden State Warriors (48 - 4) after the all - star break on Friday, February 19. James Harden was electrifying in trying to single handedly bring the Rockets back to life, but it was far from enough to erase the Blazers ongoing scoring runs. Harden, in signature fashion, did damage with his step back jumper and constant willingness to find a way to the free throw line, as he finished with 34 points to lead all scorers. He added nine rebounds and 11 assists in 41 minutes to round out the box score. The downside to the league’s second leader in minutes per game was the eight turnovers he committed. Dwight Howard was a force underneath the rim, scoring 28 points on 13 - of - 17 shooting, almost all of which coming from the post or restricted area. Howard grabbed 13 rebounds in the contest to complete a double - double. The Rockets were unable to get scoring options out of the rest of the starters, and the bench was not a viable option to turn to. The 20 team turnovers made the difference for Houston, and the sloppy play could not be covered up by the scoring outbursts from their two superstars. The Rockets will visit the Phoenix Suns (14 - 40) on Friday, February 19.
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