Game preview: Portland Trail Blazers take on Houston Rockets

The Portland Trail Blazers go toe-to-toe with the Rockets in Houston tonight.

Gliding into Houston on a two-game win streak, the Portland Trail Blazers will look to add another against the Rockets. After a year where they lost just 17 games all season, the Rockets have already lost 14 of their first 25. The problems range from depth, to defensive ability, to a guy named Carmelo Anthony. But one thing’s for certain: this Rockets team looks vulnerable in the early-going.

Of course, the Rockets’ superstar guard tandem in James Harden and Chris Paul is always a lethal threat.

This year, Harden has picked up right where he left off numbers-wise, averaging 30 points, 8.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 steals. Not to mention, he’s also turning the ball over at a career-high rate of 5.8 per game and back to playing the type of meme-able defense he was known for a couple years ago.

Chris Paul has come out the gate looking less dominant than in previous seasons. He is averaging 16.7 points, 7.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. Although these numbers look CP3-esque at first glance, it should be known his defensive impact has lessened and he seems less volatile to take over a game at any moment. He is still an elite guard, but Father Time may be finally catching up with him this year.

Or maybe it’s just the fact Paul has less players around him to work with. Gone are guys like Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, and in their place are names like James Ennis and Gary Clark. These replacements around their stars have affected their team’s three-point efficiency and defensive rating.

They are shooting about 3% worse from beyond the arc this year than they did last year. And last year, they finished as the seventh ranked defense in the league, while this year they are 26th.

While Houston’s center Clint Capella will surely affect shots at the rim throughout the game, the Blazers should use their dynamic backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to attack Harden and the cast around him. Guys like Zach Collins or Meyers Leonard could play a significant role in this one by baiting Capella out from the paint or making him pay if he leaves them open from beyond the arc.

On the other side, Lillard and McCollum will need to bring every bit of defensive intensity they have to make things difficult on their counterparts, and trust in Jusuf Nurkic to clean up the lane when they get beat.

Last year, this game may have seemed like a surefire loss. But now, the Blazers may actually be the better team. They have similar talent, much more depth, and better cohesion. Of course, Harden and Paul are likely the better backcourt, but if the players around them can’t fill in the blanks, this one could be ripe for Portland’s taking.

Game coverage starts at 5:00 P.S.T.