Game 55: Houston Rockets At Portland Trail Blazers Preview
I’m actually pleased with the Houston Rockets performance last night.
Although they didn’t beat the Golden State Warriors, I liked that they started giving a damn just shortly before the half by playing defense and getting chased of the court like outcasts.
The Rockets hung with them for awhile but the Warriors’ immense firepower was just a bit too much for the Rockets.
The chances of us beating that team were quite slim but it’s good to see that this team made it competitive.
At this moment, it’s difficult for any team to beat to them all the Rockets can do is play to the best of their ability.
But the Rockets will participate in a back-to-back tonight and face the 26-27 Portland Trail Blazers, who put a 96-79 whopping on them this past Saturday.
I’m positive that we’ll see a better effort for tonight but it remains to be seen if we win this game — I honestly think that we will.
So who’s leading the charge for the Trail Blazers?
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Damian Lillard is the leading scorer (24.2 PPG) and assist man (7.3 APG). C.J. McCollum is the steals king (1.20 SPG). Mason Plumlee is the top board-getter (7.7 RPG) and shot-blocker (1.10 BPG).
Let’s talk about what the Trail Blazers do well.
They’re offensively sound. The Blazers are 8th in the league in offensive efficiency, averaging 104.2 points per 100 possessions.
They’re quite solid at rebounding the basketball. The Blazers 6th in the league in rebound rate, snagging the boards on 51.7 percent of missed shots.
They’re quite good from the field. The Blazers are 10th in the NBA in effective field goal percentage (50.6).
Injuries:
Terrence Jones was involved in a car accident last Wednesday, and as a result, will not be available to play this week. He has been diagnosed with a concussion and has been ruled as DOUBTFUL.
Donatas Motiejunas was recalled from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. His return is imminent and it should likely be after the All-Star Break at the earliest.
Sam Dekker had back surgery back in November but the 2015 first-round pick seems to be edging closer to a return. He was seen shooting on the practice court for the first time since heading to the injured list. This is certainly a sign of good things to come.
There are no injuries to report for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Sources: Jenny Dial Creech/Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.
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Three Things to Watch:
Prediction:
104-99 in a Rockets’ win!
The Rockets continue their road trip to take on the Trail Blazers at Moda Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CST.
The game will be televised on ESPN/ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME) and La Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!