Five Big Stats Reveal Reason Behind Blazers Loss vs. Rockets

The Portland Trail Blazers are back in the loss column after falling to the Houston Rockets by a score of 106-99 inside the Toyota Center.

The Blazers had chances to win the game throughout the night, but it ultimately ended in a failed mission in the Space City for the Blazers. Here's a look at five numbers to know from the box score.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant drives to the basket against Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

16 - Blazers' missed free throws

The Blazers need to work on free throws in their next practice. The team missed 16 of their 37 attempts at the free throw line. Several players missed multiple free throws, including Robert Williams III, who missed all four of his shots from the charity stripe. The Blazers were given free points on the board, but they chose to only take less than 60 percent of them.

17 - Blazers' steals

The Blazers did have some bright spots during the game against the Rockets, especially when it came to their active hands on defense. They were able to generate 17 steals during the game, and four players had multiple steals. Jerami Grant had two, the aforementioned Williams had three, Matisse Thybulle had four, while Toumani Camara led the night with six steals.

However, it wasn't enough to pull out a win.

17 (again) - Blazers' fourth quarter points

The Blazers went into the fourth quarter with a six-point lead, but they only managed to score 17 points in the final frame. The Rockets took a lead with seven minutes to go, which was part of a 15-0 run that gave Houston a double-digit lead with less than four minutes to go. They managed to hold on to that for the rest of the game.

39.7 - Blazers' shooting percentage

The Blazers really struggled offensively during the game. Not having Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe on the floor has stalled their offense tremendously, and they need to figure out how to fix it. The team made just 33 of 83 shots from the field, which is just under 40 percent.

64 - Rockets' points in the paint

The Blazers also struggled to protect the paint as the Rockets had 64 of their 106 points in the key. Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson feasted, and the Blazers simply didn't have an answer down low.

The Blazers will have to figure out how to fix this going into the final month of the season, otherwise they will be toast during the Play-In Tournament.