'Uncharacteristic' Defense Led to Rockets Second Half Collapse vs. Trail Blazers

It took an extra period for the Trail Blazers to leave Toyota Center with a victory, but the Houston Rockets credited their "uncharacteristic" defense for their second-half collapse.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets gave up a buzzer-beating 3-point field goal to Jerami Grant in the final seconds of regulation Wednesday night. After being outscored 13-7 in overtime, the Rockets sustained a 137-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers inside the Toyota Center.

It took an extra five minutes and a fortunate shot by Grant for the Rockets to fall to 1-5 over their previous six games. However, coach Ime Udoka credited the Rockets' subpar third-quarter effort en route to another embarrassing defeat.

"It was not carryover from what we did in the fourth [quarter] to basically give ourselves a chance to win," Udoka said. "I think [there was] too much hero ball, one-on-one, not the ball movement that kind of got us back in. And then defensively, [we] didn't have the same intensity that [we had], we were scrambling [and] going after them. I mean it's kind of indicative of the third quarter."

Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) dribbles against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) in the fourth quarter at Toyota Center / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Rockets held a 63-57 halftime lead and appeared to be on the verge of a second-half blowout. However, the Trail Blazers gained momentum at the start of the second half, which led to their 13th victory of the season.

Houston's defense gave up 41 points to the Trail Blazers during the third quarter, where they shot 59.1 percent from the field and nailed eight 3-point field goals. 

Anfernee Simons played a significant role in the Trail Blazers' second-half eruption. He scored 16 of his 33 points during the third quarter, and his performance led to 11 lead changes and three ties. The Trail Blazers held a 98-96 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Udoka described the Rockets' third-quarter defense as an "embarrassment." His belief coincides with veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, who portrayed the third-quarter performances by both teams as "uncharacteristic."

"We just have to guard better," VanVleet said. "They got whatever they wanted. They started knocking down threes in the second half. But 41 points in the third quarter is uncharacteristic for both teams — us giving it up and them scoring it. Our defense wasn't very good."

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The Rockets began the season as one of the top defensive teams. But over the past few weeks, Houston has fallen near the bottom of the league. 

They have notched the fourth-worst defense with a defensive net rating of 122.3 over the previous six games. The Rockets have also allowed their opponents to score an average of 126.2 points.

"I don't think it's that concerning because we can turn it around that quick," Jalen Green said. "We've done it before, and we just got to go out there and apply it. This was a game we should have won tonight, but you know things happen. We just got to bounce back."