The Portland Trail Blazers look to have their hands full with the surging Houston Rockets, but a win here tonight could be big for their postseason prospects.
The Portland Trail Blazers kickstarted their six-game road trip with a bang by escaping the jaws of defeat and overcoming the San Antonio Spurs. If Saturday night’s action was filled with fireworks, Rip City’s trip to Houston should get even crazier.
The Rockets have defied all expectations to start the season, as most assumed it would take some time for James Harden and Russell Westbrook to effectively gel and share ball-handling responsibilities. On the back of the duo’s 60.5 combined points per game, Houston now stands at 10-3 and has strung together seven consecutive victories.
Here’s what to expect as the NBA’s top two backcourt pairings are dead set on a collision course for the Toyota Center tonight.
Follow the Action
- Date: Monday, November 18, 2019
- Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
- Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
- Watch: NBA TV, NBC Sports Northwest, Fubo.tv
- Listen: Rip City Radio
Game Odds
- Favorites: Rockets (-7.5)
- Over/under: 230.5
- Moneyline: +240 Portland/-300 Houston
Gambling odds and information courtesy of The Action Network. Displayed odds current as of Saturday at 8:30 a.m. PT.
Starting Lineups and Injury Report
Portland Trail Blazers
- PG: Damian Lillard
- SG: CJ McCollum
- SF: Rodney Hood
- PF: Nassir Little
- C: Hassan Whiteside
- Injury report: Out – Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, Pau Gasol
Houston Rockets
- PG: Russell Westbrook
- SG: James Harden
- SF: Danuel House (Ben McLemore if not cleared)
- PF: P.J. Tucker
- C: Clint Capela (Tyson Chandler if not cleared)
- Injury report: Out – Eric Gordon, Gerald Green, Nenê; Probable – Capela, House
Staff Predictions
"“Despite Harden’s recent dominance — and Portland’s tendency to commit dumb fouls — I believe Rip City can overcome Space City in a shootout. Dame and CJ can go shot-for-shot with Russ and Harden, and the Blazers have a more offensively talented second unit.” — Carroll"
"“The Rockets defense has been very patchy this season, this presents an opportunity for the Blazers to get back on track. The Blazers will upset the Rockets with a close win” — Cozens"
"“We know the history between Dame and Russ, but the circumstances are much different this time. The Blazers may hang around for 3 quarters but Harden has seemed unstoppable in the fourth this season. The Rockets will pull out a W at home.” — Zahnd"
"“I think Houston will be too good here. They play fast, have shored up their defense slightly, and Harden seems unstoppable right now.” — Gaskin"
Check back in upon the game’s conclusion for post-game analysis and more Portland Trail Blazers updates.