Nurkic has 27 points, Blazers beat Rockets 125-111
By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jusuf Nurkic had 27 points and 15 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers downed the Houston Rockets 125-111 on Friday night despite the absence of star guard Damian Lillard. Anfernee Simons led all scorers with 30 points, including seven 3-pointers, for the Blazers, who led by as many as 18 points. With the win, Portland improved to 5-1 this season. Eric Gordon scored 18 points and Kevin Porter Jr. had 16 points for the struggling Rockets, who have just one win this season.