The last time the Trail Blazers were in town, emotions were high. Former Rockets coach Kevin McHale had been fired that morning and the team hosted Portland with a fierce determination to win, to turn around a poor start to a season.
That feeling was missing on Saturday as the Rockets struggled through three quarters and fell to Portland 96-79 at the Toyota Center.
The Rockets were sluggish out of the gate, and finished the night with poor play on both sides of the ball. They shot 32.9 percent from the field and had 23 turnovers, while allowing six Trail Blazers to score in double digits.