Basketball’s greatest rivalry rages on, as Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook are set to clash when the Houston Rockets visit the Portland Trail Blazers.
The pressure is mounting in the Western Conference playoff picture, with many teams picking up the pace while others seem to be running out of steam. While the Houston Rockets have gone 4-6 in their last ten games, the Portland Trail Blazers have strung together a few quality wins against contenders in Miami, Indiana, and even Houston.
Just two weeks ago, these two teams threw down in Space City with the Trail Blazers emerging victorious 117-107. Portland had all five starters score in the double digits while Carmelo Anthony got his revenge on his former teammates, posting an impressive stat line of 18 points and 12 rebounds while hitting 70 percent of his shots from the field.
Last time, Russell Westbrook had to do the heavy lifting as he posted a triple-double of 31 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds while his backcourt partner James Harden shot a miserable 3-for-12 from the field. Unless the Blazers are banking on Harden stinking up the room yet again, they’ll have to come back even stronger this team to steal a win against a Western Conference titan.
Everyone will be tuning into this nationally televised game while these two teams duke it out. Here’s what to expect and how you can watch tonight’s much-anticipated game.
Follow the Action
- Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2020
- Time: 7:00 p.m. PST
- Where: Moda Center, Portland, OR
- Watch: ESPN, NBC Sports Northwest, Hulu Live
- Listen: Rip City Radio 620
Game Odds
Projected Starting Lineups and Injury Report
Portland Trail Blazers (20-27)
- PG: Damian Lillard
- SG: CJ McCollum
- SF: Trevor Ariza
- PF: Carmelo Anthony
- C: Hassan Whiteside
- Injury report: Out – Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, Rodney Hood, Skal Labissiere
Houston Rockets (29-17)
- PG: Russell Westbrook
- SG: James Harden (Eric Gordon if not medically cleared)
- SF: Ben McLemore
- PF: P.J. Tucker
- C: Clint Capela (Isaiah Hartenstein if not medically cleared)
- Injury report: Out – Nenê; Questionable – Harden, Capela
As it currently stands, Dame leads the rivalry against Westbrook with a head-to-head record of 16-14. Let’s see if he can pad on to that lead tonight.