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Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets Betting Preview

Thursday night features an interesting Western Conference matchup as the Portland Trail Blazers (9-7) take on the Houston Rockets (7-9). The Rockets are hosting this one from the Toyota Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.

For Portland, it has been a bit of an inconsistent ride thus far. They are 3-3 over their last six games, including a 125-122 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. In the loss, they had four players score over 20 points, led by Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons with 26 apiece. They will look to find some momentum against a tough Rockets team.

After trading James Harden, expectations were that the Rockets would likely need to rebuild. Instead, they have been rather impressive since the deal, going 4-3 over that stretch, including three straight wins. Their defense has been imposing as they allowed the Wizards just 88 points in their win over them on Tuesday.

The Rockets come in as a slight favorite playing at home. They are -138 to win, while Portland’s moneyline sits at +118. The spread features the Trail Blazers +2.5.

By The Numbers

Offensively, Portland has been one of the best teams in the NBA. They rank 5th in scoring, averaging 115.4 points per game. Houston ranks 18th averaging 110.5.

Defensively, it is the Rockets with the edge. They rank 12th in scoring defense, allowing 109.9 points per game. As mentioned before, they have been even better as of late as they have allowed just 99.3 per game over their last three. Portland falls to 26th, allowing 116.2 points.

Portland Looks To Continue Strong Road Play

While they have had some inconsistencies, the Trail Blazers have played relatively well on the road. To date, they are 4-2 on the road while they are just 5-5 at home.

Leading the way for the Trail Blazers is star guard Damian Lillard. On the season, he is averaging 28.7 points on 44.7% shooting. He is also chipping in 4.8 rebounds and seven assists per game.

Unfortunately, his sidekick, guard CJ McCollum, will continue to be out for a while as he recovers from a hairline fracture in his foot. McCollum had gotten off to a great start averaging 26.7 points and 5 assists.

In his absence, Portland needs others to step up. Other major contributors include Carmelo Anthony (12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds), Gary Trent Jr. (11.6 points), and Enes Kanter (10.1 points, 10.1 rebounds).

Houston Hopes To Keep Rolling

While James Harden is a phenomenal talent, sometimes teams can add by subtracting. It appears, at least in the short term, that this may be the case. With the departure of Harden and the return of Danuel House Jr., the Rockets have been rolling behind a really strong defensive effort.

They have also been aided by the return of John Wall from injury. Since his return, they have won a few in a row. In 9 games this season, Wall has averaged 17.9 points, 4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.

After missing the last three games with an ankle sprain, starter Christian Wood is expected to play Thursday night. While officially listed as questionable, the belief is he should be good to go. This season he has averaged 23.5 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Others that have produced for the Rockets include Victor Oladipo (20.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists), Eric Gordon (18 points), David Nwaba (9 points, 3.3 rebounds), and DeMarcus Cousins (8.8 points, 7.8 rebounds)

Taking Rockets To Win And Cover

While they likely won’t be able to sustain it in a tough Western Conference for the season, I am buying into the resurgence in the Rockets. Head coach Stephen Silas has the Rockets playing well, and newcomers John Wall, Victor Oladipo, and DeMarcus Cousins have seemed to mesh well together.

Throw in the return of Christian Wood, and I think they should be able to take down the short-handed Trail Blazers. For my money, I am taking Houston to win and to cover the 2.5-point spread.

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