Houston Rockets Score Season-High in Win Over Blazers

CLINT CAPELA. A. After giving DeMarcus Cousins more than he could ask for Friday night, Clint Capela sustained his momentum in Portland. He had another great night on both ends of the floor. <p> He made it a nightmare for Portland’s guards to score in the paint. As well as scoring a career-high in points. </p> <p>Overall, another great game for the future all-star. 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and Plus/Minus (+11)</p>. Center. Houston Rockets

Power Forward. Houston Rockets. RYAN ANDERSON. B. It’s funny to watch Ryan Anderson this season because fans never know what player they will get. Some days Anderson looks worse than a little league basketball player. Other days, he looks like the second or third most important player for the Rockets. <p>Against the Trail Blazers, the Rockets got the subpar all-star caliber player. </p> <p>Overall, Anderson had a solid night. 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, Plus/Minus (+12)</p>

Houston Rockets. TREVOR ARIZA. B+. Trevor Ariza is so consistent in his play, sometimes I feel a little repetitive when speaking of his performance. The quiet assassin had a solid night scoring when needed, but it was his play on the defensive end that stood out the most. Against one of the league’s top perimeter players, Damian Lillard, who is capable of dropping 40 on any team on any given night. <p>Ariza did a nice job holding the Trail Blazers all-star to under 40 % percent from the field. Sure, he scored 27 points, but most of them came from the free throw line. </p> <p>18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and shot 4 of 5 from deep, Plus/Minus (+14)</p>. Small Forward

Patrick Beverley had a quiet night. He could not get into a rhythm on offense, and his defense was rather nonexistent. However, Beverley left his mark on the game by doing the little things that are not appreciated though stats. <p>1 point, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, Plus/Minus (+16)</p>. Shooting Guard. Houston Rockets. PATRICK BEVERLEY. C-

A+. What is there left to say about James Harden? The Beard had another sensational performance in Portland. During the first half, it seemed as if Harden was on the verge of another 40 point game as he scored 21 points to lead all scorers. Half time adjustments by the Blazers defensively slowed Harden’s scoring a little. <p>What I admire about Harden’s play the most is his ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. However, when the Rockets needed someone to step up as their closer, Harden went into Mamba mode scoring 10 points in the fourth. </p> <p>38 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 block, 2 steals and Plus/Minus (+8). The only downside being once again Harden coughed the ball up again registering 5 turnovers</p>. Point Guard. Houston Rockets. JAMES HARDEN

Shooting Guard. Houston Rockets. ERIC GORDON. A+. There was a new chef in Houston’s kitchen tonight! H-Town’s favorite Sixth Man had another productive night for the Rockets. Although Harden is carrying a huge load of Houston’s offense, it nice to see someone stepping up to help the five-time all-star. Gordon was astonishing for the Rockets. <p>This was perhaps, his best game of the season. For the ninth time this season, Gordon scored 20 or more points off the bench. </p> <p>Although Harden was great, Gordon was the MVP for the Rockets this game scoring 26 points, and adding 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. He also scored 6 of 9 from deep. Plus/Minus (+13)</p>

A-. The Blazers tried their best not to get out done on their home floor and did everything possible to compete with the Rockets. Amongt the players who refused to give up was C.J. McCollum. During the first half, he lit the Rockets up for 20 points and was seemingly on the verge of scoring 40 points. <p>Thankfully, Houston’s defense held McCollum to eight points the remainder of the game. However, one cannot forget his unstoppable first half performance. 28 points, 7 assists, Plus/Minus (-1)</p>. Shooting Guard. Portland Trail Blazers. C.J. MCCOLLUM