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Tuesday, Dec. 21 8:30pm ET
Blazers snap two-game losing streak | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston Rockets fans thought they were getting to Scottie Pippen. Pippen said he was having fun. Pippen, booed every time he touched the ball, made two baskets in the tight closing minutes as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 89-79 Tuesday night.
Pippen, traded to the Blazers by the Rockets in the off-season, was greeted with resounding boos when he was introduced in the starting lineup. He finished with 13 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. "As a player, that's something you look forward to," Pippen said. "You come out and you rise to the occasion. I anticipated coming in here and that's something you like to see. "They were taunting me, but I wasn't saying much, I was just listening. It's a lot of fun, the fans made it fun for me." The boos didn't stop the entire game, but the razzing dropped off when Pippen kept Portland ahead with a basket with 4:19 to play and a 3-pointer with 3:15 left. Houston had pulled to 79-77 before Pippen stepped up. "I didn't even rub it in their faces, I just kept playing like I did all night," Pippen said. "It's about us winning the game, not about anything with the fans. We came here to win and that's what we did." The Trail Blazers snapped a two-game losing streak by holding the Rockets to 11 fourth-quarter points. "We started the game the way we wanted to, we took control," Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said. "But then we gave some of it back. We have to tighten up as a team. We have loose balls, loose defense, everything." Houston had only one more field goal after Cuttino Mobley hit a 3-point basket that cut Portland's lead to 76-74 with 8:52 left in the game. Steve Smith led the Trail Blazers with 22 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:30 to play that sealed the victory. Mobley led the Rockets with 20 points in 32 minutes off the bench. "Tonight it was the same old song," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Fourth quarter turnovers and we just couldn't hit any shots in the end. We had some open shots but we just didn't make them. "I don't think this loss had anything to do with us not playing hard." Portland led most of the first half but the Rockets made it close late in the second quarter and actually led briefly before three points by Brian Grant in the final 49 seconds gave the Trail Blazers a 46-45 lead at the half. Smith had nine points in the third quarter when the Trail Blazers built a 70-60 lead with 2:10 to go, but the Rockets still wouldn't fade. They had an 8-2 run that included a long 3-pointer by Mobley with 3.5 seconds left for a 72-68 lead at the end of the period. The Trail Blazers hit seven of their first eight shots to get an early 16-6 lead and they kept it most of the first half although Mobley had 12 points in the half to make it close. It was the second meeting between Houston and Portland since the trade. Portland beat Houston 91-88 in overtime at Portland on Nov. 26.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Portland Clubhouse Houston Clubhouse RECAPS Indiana 113 Seattle 103
Portland 89
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