Houston Rockets center Christian Wood (35) and guard Jalen Green (0) hug as they walk to the locker room after the Houston Rockets lost to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, at the Toyota Center in Houston. The Rockets were right there, within six, five minutes left, close enough to believe they could complete the comeback and win a game on their home floor. They had repaired the broken offense that put them in an 18-point first half hole. They mixed in occasional stops. They had five minutes to chase the homecourt win that had eluded them since early December. The Rockets’ defense, however, remained what it has been throughout their Toyota Center skid. With the game on the line, the Trail Blazers poured in 18 points in the final 4 ½ minutes on Friday, easily pulling away to top the Rockets, 125-110, the Rockets 10th consecutive loss on their home floor. “They’re a very talented offensive team,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “We struggled down the stretch to guard them, for sure.” While Anfernee Simons and C.J. McCollum, who combined for 53 points, lit up the Rockets on one end down the stretch, the Rockets made just 1 of 7 shots in the final five minutes. “It just came down to getting stops at the end,” Rockets guard Garrison Mathews said. “They kept iso-ing me at the end. I couldn't get stops. Put it on me. Toward the end, that's the most important time to get stops."