Blazers' Chauncey Billups Didn't Hold Back His Thoughts on Blowout Loss to Rockets

The Rockets outclassed the Blazers on Friday.

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Two steps forward, three steps back.

Following a 45-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies two weeks ago, the Portland Trail Blazers appeared to pull themselves up with a three-game winning streak that featured two wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and one win against the Atlanta Hawks. In some respects, the Trail Blazers seemed to turn the corner.

Though neither the Timberwolves nor the Hawks are lighting up the NBA this season, the Trail Blazers still earned three straight quality wins.

Their win streak proved short-lived when the Trail Blazers fell 109-99 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers followed it up with a brutal 116-88 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday in their second group stage game of the 2024 NBA Cup.

The Trail Blazers were not expected by any means to upset the 12-4 Thunder or the 12-5 Rockets, who each rank in the top-three of the Western Conference, but they could have been more competitive in their loss to the Rockets.

Instead, the Trail Blazers failed to score 90 points in a game for the second time this season, and fewer than 100 points in a game for the fifth time.

“It was a rough game all around,” Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups told reporters, via Aaron Fentress of Oregon Live. “They beat us in every area that you can beat a team.”

Billups credited the Rockets' style of play, which helped them shoot 12 percent more accurately from the field and nearly 13 better on three-pointers than the Trail Blazers. The Rockets garnered more rebounds, assists, and steals than the Trail Blazers, and outscored Portland 26-7 on fast-break points, all contributing to their seamless win.

The Trail Blazers will get the opportunity to put on a better performance when they take on the Rockets in a rematch on Saturday evening.

“I definitely look forward to the challenge,” Billups said. “This team, they’re playing as good as anybody in the league. They really are. They’re scrappy. They play hard, similar to how we play. But they’re playing together every single night.”

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