RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers left the locker room with cigars. Now, they've got to find some fire on the road.
Steve Smith scored 25 points and Damon Stoudamire added 23 as
Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 111-88 Saturday night for their
third straight home win.
Smith and Stoudamire smoked the Rockets with their outside shooting as the Blazers shot 61 percent from the field, including 10 of 13 in the third quarter.
Dale Davis added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Bonzi Wells added
14 points for the Blazers, who take off Sunday for a 10-day,
seven-game road trip.
"I think we had a wake-up call," said Scottie Pippen, who
handed out cigars in honor of the birth of his son, Scottie Jr.
"We all had to look in the mirror and realize that we weren't
playing great basketball. This game was a momentum builder for
us."
Hakeem Olajuwon scored 17 for the Rockets, who play the Lakers
in Los Angeles Sunday. Jason Collier added 12 points and Maurice
Taylor finished with 10.
"The only good thing I can say about this game is that it was so bad, we got a chance to rest some guys for tomorrow," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Giving up 21 fastbreak points ... we're supposed to be the road runners and they're supposed to be
the half-court, pound-it-in team. Very disappointing."
The Blazers went on a 14-2 run to open the second half, as Smith
and Stoudamire took turns drawing double teams and kicking out to
each other. By the time Stoudamire converted Rasheed Wallace's tip
of a bad pass for a layup and free throw with 7:57 left in the
third, the Blazers had a 67-44 lead and were never threatened.
"We're sharing the ball a lot out there and getting guys easy
shots," said Stoudamire, who dished eight of Portland's 31
assists. "That's when we're at our best."
The Rockets never got closer than 19 in the fourth.
"They haven't been shooting the ball like that all season,"
said Walt Williams, who scored nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.
"They were getting out on the break and getting a lot of fast
break points on us. They were just in a nice flow. When a game is
going like that, it is going to be hard to stop anybody."
Stoudamire started the fourth with a steal of Steve Francis and
a slick layup, and Bonzi Wells followed with a dunk that put
Portland up 91-64, prompting Blazer coach Mike Dunleavy to pull
most of his starters.
"Our guards were terrific. Both guys not only made shots, but
made big-time plays," Dunleavy said. "We did a good job of
running the floor wide and advancing the ball. That's some of the
stuff we've been stressing since training camp but tonight we did a
better job it."
Portland started the season 1-3 with losses at Phoenix and
Sacramento and at home against the Lakers, but Saturday outplayed
its opponent in just about every category, including a 14-rebound
edge over the Rockets.
Game notes
The Rockets held the Lakers to 74 points Nov. 7 in Houston,
tying the defending champions' franchise low mark. ... The Blazers
didn't make any substitutions in the first quarter, and Stacey
Augmon started ahead of Pippen. ... The only Blazer that didn't
shoot well was Shawn Kemp. Kemp shot 3-for-8 from the field and
drew boos after missing two consecutive outside shots in the fourth
quarter. ... Portland hit seven of nine 3-pointers for 78 percent,
the best mark in team history.
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NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Portland Clubhouse
RECAPS
New Jersey 126
Seattle 91
Indiana 94
Detroit 84
Cleveland 86
Washington 73
New York 81
Charlotte 67
Philadelphia 85
Boston 83
Toronto 98
Chicago 75
Minnesota 103
Milwaukee 92
San Antonio 91
Vancouver 78
Phoenix 84
Miami 82
Portland 111
Houston 88
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