The Trail Blazers have been known to give the Rockets a lot of trouble, but that was not the case Wednesday night. Houston had the lead at the end of the 1st quarter, and would not give it up for the rest of the game. The Trail Blazers did get within 3 points with 3 minutes remaining in the 4th, but that's as close as they would get.
Chris Paul finished with a Double-Double after putting up 37 points and 11 assists. CP3 shot just under 45% from the field, but he scored when it mattered, including a buzzer beater 3 at the end of the 3rd quarter, and 14 points in the 4th. He was also charged with a technical foul in the 4th quarter. "Scott Foster at his finest," Paul said after the game about the 24-year veteran referee, "He's the man, he's who they pay to see."
The highlight of the game was Eric Gordon's put back dunk midway in the 4th quarter. Gordon missed a jump shot, and decided to slam it in before anyone else could get to it. Gordon ended up with 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists with 5 balls from beyond the arc.
Tarik Black was having a great game until he took a shot in the head from Ed Davis during a big dunk late in the 3rd quarter. Black fell to the floor and had to be assisted by trainers while walking to the locker room. The Rockets announced that Black suffered a right eye abrasion and will miss the next game.
The Rockets are back on the road Friday night and will be without Nene and Black, leaving Clint Capela as their only big man against the Suns.