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Houston Rockets at Portland Trail Blazers Betting Preview

The Houston Rockets hit the road Wednesday night to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in what could be a battle of high-scoring guards.

Despite the Rockets being full of star players, not only will it be tough to watch, it is going to be very hard for a lot of these guys to play. The NBA has only canceled one game since the passing of Kobe Bryant, but it is clear just how much he still meant to the active players of the game in that it has been so difficult for them to continue.

Houston has two stars in its backcourt in James Harden and Russell Westbrook that it will be looking for leadership from.

Portland, on the other hand, has Carmelo Anthony, who was very close with Bryant and posted a heartfelt message Tuesday night. The first successes of Trevor Ariza’s NBA career happened in Los Angeles with Bryant, so one can only imagine how he feels.

The Trail Blazers continue to try and fight their way back into a playoff spot, with plenty of time left in the season. Playing basketball is not going to feel right for these guys at first, but eventually, they will get on with the games. We’ll see if they can get it done Wednesday night.

Portland is a 1.5-point favorite for Wednesday, while the moneyline has Portland -115 and Houston -102.

Scoring Machine

In the absence of Harden and Westbrook in the Rockets’ last game, Eric Gordon decided to make history. He scored 40-plus points for the first time in over 4,000 days, becoming the first-ever player to have that big of a gap between such scoring performances. He poured in 50 and is going to be looking to stay hot Wednesday night.

He missed a lot of time earlier in the season, but he’s back making shots from all over the floor. It’s nice to see him playing at the level we expected from him when he burst onto the scene with the Clippers out of Indiana.
Clint Capela is listed as questionable, and though the Rockets beat Utah with Danuel House Jr. at the center spot, this one would be far tougher, as Portland’s Hassan Whiteside is having a big year.

Still Fighting

Despite all of the injuries the Blazers have dealt with this year, plenty of guys on this team are having magnificent seasons. Damian Lillard is scoring at will, with CJ McCollum not too far behind him. Ariza scored 21 in his team debut. Whiteside is averaging 15 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks per night, yet he could still be traded so Jusuf Nurkic can start upon return.

Anthony is continuing to shoot it well from all over the floor, something that has been great to see from the veteran in a very successful return to the league in 2019-20.

This is a tough matchup that could be made easier if Harden doesn’t play. If he does, Portland still has the scorers needed to get the win. And Portland will play this game like it means everything.

Blazers Earn The Win

Anthony will score 30 to lead the Blazers to their 21st win of the year. Take Portland -1.5.

Free Play: POR -1.5

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