ROCKETS FALL TO BLAZERS
Trail Blazers bounce back with 104-98 win over Rockets
Nov 25, 2024, 9:58 am
Trail Blazers defeat the Rockets, 104-98. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.
Anfernee Simons scored 25 points and Shaedon Sharpe added 24 as the Portland Trail Blazers bounced back from a tough loss with a 104-98 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
The victory came after Portland was blown out 116-88 by the Rockets in an NBA Cup game Friday night.
The Trail Blazers led by three late before Alperen Sengun cut the lead to 99-98 on a shot in the paint with 21 seconds left.
Portland got two free throws apiece from Deni Avdija and Sharpe to make it 103-98 with 4.3 seconds remaining. Simons added another free throw after a technical foul on Fred Van Vleet to secure the win.
Houston’s Dillon Brooks and Sharpe had to be separated after they got tangled up fighting for a rebound with about two minutes left. Brooks had to be pulled away from Simons after Brooks took issue with Simons pushing him away from the fray.
Sharpe was called for a loose ball foul on the play and Simons and Brooks both received technical fouls.
Sengun had 22 points and Amen Thompson added 19 points off the bench for the Rockets.
Takeaways
Trail Blazers: They showed grit in putting Friday’s loss behind them and moving quickly to snap a two-game skid.
Rockets: Houston needs to play more consistently after a poor offensive showing Saturday night a game after Friday’s big offensive outing when the team made 15 3-pointers.
Key moment
Simons scored five quick points to make it 99-96 with less than 30 seconds to go, putting the Trail Blazers on top for good. He made a layup before hitting a 3-pointer after a block by Avdija.
Key stat
The Blazers made 18 of 44 3-pointers and Houston managed just 8 of 32 attempts with Jalen Green going 1 for 9.
Up next
The Trail Blazers visit Memphis on Monday night and the Rockets visit Minnesota on Tuesday night.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.