Rockets vs. Trail Blazers was one of the best games of the year

The Trail Blazers were riding a 13-game winning streak. The Rockets had won 22 of their last 23 games. There was even a little unsettled beef between the two teams. The stars had aligned. Houston vs. Portland was going to be a headliner.

The Rockets and Trail Blazers put on a show Tuesday night. The game was so intense, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum both had poor shooting nights, yet Houston still needed all 48 minutes to come out victorious. The Rockets ended up snapping the Blazers’ winning streak with a 115-111 victory, staving off a hungry No. 3 seed to reinforce their standing at top dog in the Western Conference.

If it wasn’t the most exciting game of the regular season, it was definitely up there. Here’s why:

Few things are more frightening than defending Harden one-on-one out on the perimeter. Lillard probably learned that the hard way.

Harden put Lillard in the blender on three separate occasions. He finished with 42 points on 13-of-25 shooting from the field. Every time Harden put the ball on the ground, somebody’s feet shifted. It was yet another incredible display of offensive prowess from the presumed MVP.

McCollum only finished with eight points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field. The ones he made were gorgeous, but he was virtually a non-factor for his 34 minutes on the floor. Lillard scored 20 points and made all 10 of his free throws, but he shot just 5-of-17 from the field. With Portland’s two top scorers combining for a God-awful shooting night, they should have gotten blown out of the water.

But Al-farouq Aminu came out guns blazing in the first quarter. He shot 4-of-6 from three to start the night and finished with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.

Jusuf Nurkic took advantage of every single instance in which the Rockets switched on screen-and-rolls. He added 21 points of his own on 9-of-10 shooting in 27 minutes on the floor.

And you can’t forget Mo Harkless, who scored 17 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field, including 3-of-3 from downtown. After all, it was Harkless who nearly removed Clint Capela from the face of the Earth with a bold poster tomahawk attempt he nearly brought the house down with.

He also set the Moda Center on fire when he punched Harden’s layup into the stands.

McCollum and Lillard have been the story in Portland all year long, but the script was flipped against the Rockets. This time, the Trail Blazers’ supporting cast carried the star guards. Had they shown up, their winning streak might still be intact.

The Trail Blazers proved they are fully deserving of the No. 3 seed they’re holding onto in the latter stretch of the season. They gave the league-best Rockets some real competition and could have come away with a victory had a rebound or two bounced their way.

Portland is still safe as that third seed, and if that’s where they finish, it’s unlikely we see a Rockets-Trail Blazers showdown in the playoffs. They’ll have to go through the Warriors for that to happen and, well, Portland probably won’t get through Golden State in one piece.

But the Trail Blazers do see the Rockets one more time this season on April 5. And judging by how wild Tuesday night’s game was, the rematch is sure to be a good one.

Especially if Lillard and McCollum are on.