Kevin Durant scored a game-high 30 points, Alperen Sengun flirted with a triple-double and the Houston Rockets cruised to a 140-116 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers in NBA Cup play on Friday.

Durant scored 16 first-quarter points to ignite the Rockets before Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. helped shoulder the offensive load in reply to repeated rallies from the Trail Blazers. Sengun posted 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Smith tallied 22 points and, like Sengun, hit four 3-pointers.

Deni Avdija scored 14 of his 22 points in the third quarter to help Portland shave a 23-point deficit to 101-91 with a three-point play at the 1:23 mark of the period.

However, Houston scored the first seven points of the fourth, and when Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday drilled consecutive 3-poi

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