Rockets 110, Trail Blazers 95: James Harden scored 31 of his 44 points in the first half as Houston came out on fire and burned visiting Portland.

Dwight Howard added 16 points and 13 rebounds and Corey Brewer scored 12 points off the bench in his team debut for the Rockets, who avoided a three-game slide. Harden went 14-of-26 from the field and 12-of-13 from the foul line while adding seven assists and five steals for Houston.

Damian Lillard scored 18 points to lead the Trail Blazers, who were missing forward LaMarcus Aldridge due to an upper respiratory illness. Meyers Leonard started in Aldridge’s spot and scored a season-high 13 points while Wesley Matthews scored 14 for Portland.

The Trail Blazers, who had a five-game winning streak come to an end, matched the Rockets shot for shot until Harden scored eight points in a 20-5 run that put Houston up 63-47 with 2:43 left in the second quarter. Harden added two more layups before the end of the half as the Rockets took a 73-53 edge into the break.

The lead reached 81-56 in the third before Portland made a brief run, cutting it to 84-70 on Lillard’s basket. Houston called timeout and finished the quarter strong to take a 96-76 lead into the final period before coasting to the finish.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rockets G Jason Terry knocked down his 2,000th career 3-pointer, joining Ray Allen and Reggie Miller as the only players in NBA history to reach the mark. … Portland G C.J. McCollum played most of the fourth quarter and finished with a season-high 17 points off the bench. … Lillard committed six of the Trail Blazers’ 23 turnovers.