Greetings NBA fans! No, you are not seeing double, nor are you experiencing Deja Vu. In fact, the Houston Rockets will be tipping off for the second straight night in Portland against the Trail Blazers in back-to-back night action! Check out our NBA odds series, where our Rockets-Trail Blazers pick and prediction will be revealed.
The Rockets came into Friday evening's matchup losing six of their last seven games, so beating up Portland on their home floor was nothing short of gratifying. Record wise, there is not a worse team in the NBA than the Rockets, as any wins from here on out would boost Houston's confidence heading into the offseason. Other than last night, the Rockets have been horrendous on the road, compiling an 8-30 record during the regular season thus far.
Portland hasn't been a whole lot better on the court than Houston, and it for sure showed in an embarrassing 106-125 home loss. It hasn't been the season that many Blazers fans have hoped it could've been, as the once playoff proud Trail Blazers have been pelted with an array of injuries and trades at the deadline that have transformed the team into near unrecognizable, and are limping into the off-season without much of an identity.
NBA odds: Rockets-Trail Blazers Odds
Houston Rockets: -3.5 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers: +3.5 (-110)
Over: 231.5 (-110)
Under: 231.5 (-110)
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Why the Rockets Could Cover the Spread
Well, if it's not broke don't fix it right? The Rockets shot lights out versus Portland on Friday night, and are usually purely mediocre when it comes to scoring the basketball. However, the Rockets fired up a maddening 45 three-point attempts and made 19 of them, good for a 42% mark from deep. In comparison to Portland, the Rockets put the clamps down on from the perimeter, limiting the Blazers to a frightening 15% from beyond the arc. This could've very well been the deciding factor from Friday evening, and if the Rockets want to go for the back-to-back road sweep, as keeping the Blazers off the glass and restraining scoring chances will boost the chances for a Houston win. The Blazers remain one of the worst defenses that the NBA has to offer, so a repeat of another 126 point night isn't completely out of the question. On the season, the Rockets are 30-43-1 ATS.
Why the Trail Blazers Could Cover the Spread
The Blazers are hoping that they got some of their bad play out of the way last night heading into today's matchup with the Rockets. Portland has not been appealing to watch whatsoever during the year of 2022, , as their sloppy dysfunction has been on full display for many games now. Fortunately for Portland, the Rockets make the ugly duckling look like a million bucks, as the Rockets rank near the bottom five of almost every statistical category in the NBA. It is hard to imagine the Blazers will shoot so poorly for a second straight night against a Rockets defense that has more holes than Swiss cheese.
Not to mention, point guard Brandon Williams surely won't have as woeful as a performance as he had 24 hours ago. Williams went 1-10 on his field goal attempts and had a plus-minus of -30 in 24 minutes played. If Portland can generate turnovers and get out on the fast break, then the injury-plagued Blazers will have a chance to put up the points galore on the scoreboard.
Final Rockets-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick
Mathematically, Portland is still alive to be a playoff team in the Western Conference playoffs with nine games left and only trailing the Lakers by four games, but a lot of good needs to occur in order for that to happen. Regardless, Portland will quickly put their incompetent showing from last night behind them and will not only pick up a much-needed victory versus the Rockets, but will cover the spread as well. The fact that the Blazers are underdogs in this matchup is enticing to say the least. Portland gets the job done in this one, and their playoff hopes are still alive!
Final Rockets-Trail Blazers Pick: Trail Blazers +3.5 (-110)
Follow Us
Subscribe