The Rockets were able to start fast and hold on late to squeak out a win away from home Wednesday. The game ended 103 - 96 in favor of the Rockets over the Portland Trailblazers. The team nearly gave the game away as they struggled down the stretch, but had enough to hold on. The win brings their record to 15-11 overall on the season. It also brings their away record to 5-8 on the year, a mark they would certainly like to improve upon. 

The Rockets were led by Chase Budinger who scored 22 points in the contest. This was enough to lead all scorers between both teams. Chandler Parsons added 8 rebounds to lead the team while Kyle Lowry had 5 assists to lead all. The team scored 60 total first half points in the contest, which set the tone for the game. They began to lose their lead in the second half however as the Blazers began to work their way back into the game. This was, in large part, due to a third quarter in which the team scored just 17. In comparison, the team scored 43 points in the 2nd quarter alone. The win brings the Rockets to 2.5 games back of San Antonio in the division. They are tied with the Mavericks for second in the division.

The Blazers are now 14-12 on the year following the loss. The loss at home was just their 3rd of the season. Here, they have been very good this season and were nearly good enough in this contest. The team was led in points by Jamal Crawford who scored 21. Gerald Wallace led the team in rebounds with 9 as well. The team started very poorly on defense and on offense scored just 18 points in the second quarter. The loss makes the team 6.5 games back in the division. They are in 4th place behind the Thunder who lead their division.