The Portland Trail Blazers erased a 13-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to beat Houston 111-105 on Friday night at the Moda Center.
Portland started the quarter on an 11-point run to climb back into contention, then gained the lead on a series of free throws by Den Avdija as the clock rolled under three minutes to play.
“There was a lot of game, and we’ve been in that situation many times, and told them there was still a chance to win,” Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said. “We played a great 6- or 7-minute stretch and got back into the game.”
Portland went up four points with a minute to play after Avdija ripped a ball away to end a Houston drive in the lane, then quickly sent a pass ahead to Shaedon Sharpe at midcourt, who looped the ball up high for Sidy Cissoko to make an alley-oop finish.
The Rockets shot 1-for-17 (5.8%) from 3-point range in the fourth quarter.
The Blazers made all four of their foul shots down the stretch to secure the win, the team’s second over the Rockets in the past three nights.
Toumani Camara led Portland with a career-high 25 points, while Sharpe and Avdija added 20 points apiece.
Portland (19-20) has a chance to reach the .500 mark at 3 p.m. Sunday when the New York Knicks come to the Moda Center.