Trail Blazers host Rockets, seek first win in post-Matthews era
By Ryan Allison
Tonight at 7:30 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers host the Houston Rockets. The Trail Blazers did not fare well in their first contest without Wesley Matthews, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. The Rockets have won their last two games and sit a full game in front of the Trail Blazers for third place in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers will once again be playing in front of a national audience as the game will be broadcast on ESPN. If you are local, you can also view the game on KGW or listen to the radio call on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
This will be the third and final regular season meeting between the Trail Blazers and Rockets. The season series has been split and this game could end up becoming a tie breaker for playoff position. The Rockets have fared well without Howard in the lineup, who may be returning before the playoffs. The Trail Blazers will try to hang on to their season after Matthews was lost to an Achilles tear. The first game without Matthews didn’t go very well and tonight’s matchup with the Rockets presents a difficult challenge.
Matthews is a solid perimeter defender, maybe one of the best in the league. His regular assignment against the Rockets is checking Harden. A prolific scorer like Harden will get his points but Matthews never backs down from the challenge and even helps on the offensive end by posting Harden up. Remember Game 4 of the first round playoff matchup with the Rockets a season ago? If not, here’s a refresher:
Who will step up in Matthews absence? Everyone. Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts will throw everything he has at Harden until someone appears to be most effective at stopping him. But what about the rest of the season? Newly acquired Afflalo will have to step up as will young guard C.J. McCollum.
The Rockets continue to ride Harden’s unbelievable play. In four games this month, he’s averaging 29.3 points and 9.3 assists. The MVP talks continue to be heavily debated but there’s no doubt Harden is the MVP of his team. Everyone thought the loss of Howard would affect the Rockets more than it has. Since Howard has been sidelined, the Rockets are 13-6 and own the third best record in the Western Conference.
On the Rockets side, they need to continue to get production from Corey Brewer. Off the bench, Brewer has seen at least 26 minutes in seven of his last 10 games. He has totaled 39 points in the last two games and will look to continue his hot streak tonight. The Rockets are 7-1 since late January when Brewer scores more than his season average of 11.4 points. He may see a few different defenders tonight when he enters the game and we’ll see who is ready for the job.
The Trail Blazers will need to rely on Aldridge heavily tonight. He had a team-high 24 points in the second meeting after sitting out the first. Aldridge is averaging 24.4 points and 12.0 rebounds over his last five games. He’s the work horse on a nightly basis and will continue to be for the remainder of the year.
In order for the Trail Blazers to secure a win, they must take care of the ball. As a team, they are very turnover prone and they can’t afford to give the Rockets more chances to score. They must also attempt (and I use that in jest) to contain Harden. This may turn into an ugly game fast but we all know you can’t count the Trail Blazers out of any contest.
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