Toumani Camara scored a career-high 25 points as the Portland Trail Blazers extended their winning streak to a season-best five games with a 111–105 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija each added 20 points for Portland, which closed strong once again after edging Houston 103–102 on Wednesday in the teams’ previous meeting.
Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 30 points and 12 rebounds and made history in the process. Durant passed Wilt Chamberlain for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list when he knocked down a 3-pointer in the third quarter. Entering the game needing 15 points to surpass Chamberlain’s 31,419, Durant reached 31,422 on a jumper with 7:57 remaining in the period.
After a tightly contested first half that featured no double-digit leads, Houston took control in the third quarter. Durant’s 3-pointer pushed the Rockets ahead 86–74, but Portland responded with a strong finish.
The Blazers rallied in the fourth, trimming the deficit to 94–91 on Duop Reath’s 3-pointer. Camara followed with a dunk to pull Portland closer, but Durant answered with another 3 to keep Houston in front 97–93 with 5:32 remaining.
Avdija then took over down the stretch. He buried a 3-pointer to make it 99–98 with 3:54 left, then knocked down four consecutive free throws to give Portland a 102–99 lead. Amen Thompson, who finished with 24 points and nine rebounds, threw down a dunk to pull Houston within one, but the Blazers answered again. Sidy Cissoko’s dunk stretched the lead to 107–103, and Portland held on from there.
The Trail Blazers have remained resilient despite key injuries. Starting forward Jerami Grant has been sidelined since Dec. 18 with Achilles tendinitis, and Jrue Holiday, out since mid-November with a calf strain, was upgraded to doubtful but did not play.
Up next:
The Rockets travel to Sacramento on Sunday night. The Trail Blazers return home to host the New York Knicks on Sunday.
