RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) -- Damon Stoudamire didn't intend to dominate the
scoring for the Portland Trail Blazers in the fourth period -- it
just happened to be his turn.
|  | | Portland's Scottie Pippen, bottom, and the Rockets' Shandon Anderson fight for possession. |
"That's just the way it worked out. Every game someone on this
team has to step up, and tonight I was able to have a good game,"
Stoudamire said after scoring 15 of his 31 points in the fourth
period to lead Portland to a 96-85 victory over the Houston Rockets
Saturday night.
Stoudamire scored 13 consecutive points in the final 3:30 and
finished with a season high.
"Tonight I was able to get into the lane a lot. We all had a
lot of energy tonight," Stoudamire said.
Portland coach Mike Dunleavy praised Stoudamire's performance.
"Damon did a great job and he played in the attack mode all
game," Dunleavy said. "Almost the only shots he missed all game
were a couple of layups."
Stoudamire connected on 10 of 17 from the field and 10 of 11
free throws.
Rasheed Wallace scored 22 points, including 17 in the second
half, and Dale Davis added 11 for Portland.
Steve Francis led Houston with 24 points. Maurice Taylor and
Cuttino Mobley each scored 12.
Francis lamented Houston's 18 turnovers.
"We just made some bad decisions. We turned the ball over a
little bit too much in clutch situations," Francis said. "We did
it to ourselves."
Portland had 11 turnovers, a season low for a Houston opponent.
Houston opened the fourth period with a 17-4 run and closed
within 76-75 with 6:50 remaining. Francis scored seven of 17 in the
run.
A 3-point shot by Wallace and a pair of free throws by
Stoudamire gave the Trail Blazers an 81-75 lead with 4:49 to go.
Stoudamire scored seven straight to give Portland a 90-82 lead
with 1:19 left. After a 3-point shot by Mobley, Stoudamire hit two
more baskets and a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
"We were able to make Houston play come-from-behind, and it is
always difficult to play catch-up all game," Stoudamire added.
Houston took a 14-10 lead with 4:21 left in the first period
before Portland scored five straight for its first lead, 15-14.
The Rockets led 22-21 after one quarter.
Portland led 30-26 with 8:24 left in the second period. Houston
went on a 12-3 run that was highlighted by seven points from
Moochie Norris. The Rockets took a 38-33 lead with 4:03 left in the
half.
The Trail Blazers used a 13-6 spurt for a 46-44 lead at
halftime.
Portland led 54-50 with 8:18 left in the third period before
launching a 16-2 scoring run, including 12 straight points by
Wallace, for a 70-52 advantage.
Francis scored five points in the final minute of the third
period but Houston faced a 72-58 deficit entering the fourth
quarter.
Game notes
Houston is 7-2 season when converting more 3-pointers than
their opponent, and 4-0 when scoring at least 100 points ... Hakeem
Olajuwon needs 16 points to reach 26,000 for his career. He will
join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone and Elvin
Hayes as the only NBA players to score 26,000 or more points and
record 13,000 or more rebounds ... Portland is 10-2 when it shoots
45 percent or better from the field ... Rasheed Wallace has scored
20 or more points in 10 of Portland's 18 games. ... Scottie Pippen
has 2,010 career steals. He is only the seventh player in NBA
history to record 2,000 or more steals.
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NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Atlanta 101
Milwaukee 94
Charlotte 94
Utah 89
Philadelphia 112
Cleveland 78
Orlando 95
New Jersey 74
New York 100
Minnesota 90
Miami 93
Washington 90
Portland 96
Houston 85
Denver 103
Seattle 92
Dallas 97
Golden State 78
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