The Houston Rockets need to get on a win streak and fast.
The Houston Rockets need to get on a win streak and fast.
Yes, this will allow to pull ahead in the standings and gain some leadership in the Western Conference.
They’ll have a opportunity as they’ll be out West for the rest of the week, returning back to H-Town toward the end.
Tonight, they’ll be facing the 9-9 Portland Trail Blazers to which they beat quite handily 126-109 back Nov. 17th.
Nothing has changed here — they use the same formula and they should still be able to beat the Blazers.
But if their shot is not falling, then this team will have problems because they haven’t quite learned how to overcome that adversity just yet.
It won’t be easy playing in the Moda Center as well as they have one of the most fiery crowds in the league.
Did I mention they’re playing on the back-end of a holiday week?
But despite what’s in front of them — they’ll be able to handle their business.
We shall see!
So who’s leading the charge for the Blazers?
Damian Lillardleads the Blazers in points (28.3 PPG) and dimes (5.3 APG).Mason Plumleeis the top board-getter (6.9 RPG) and board-getter (0.9 BPG).Al-Farouq Aminuis in charge of the steals (1.5 SPG).
Let’s talk about what the Blazers do well.
They’re offensively potent.The Blazers have elevated to 8th in offensive efficiency, with the team averaging 106.3 points per 100 possessions.
They love to have the basketball in their hands.The Blazers are ranked 9th in the as far as PACE, averaging 101.3 possessions per game.
They shoot the ball well as a team.The Blazers are ranked 7th in the NBA as far as effective field goal percentage (51.6)
Next: James Harden: A New Team, Attitude, A Breath Of Fresh Air
Injuries:
Patrick Beverleyhad successful surgery Oct. 25— it was a minor knee scope to clean up some the damage that had occurred from his injury.
Bev made his debut last Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers and posted 11 points, three blocks and three assists in 25 minutes of action.
He was 5-for-8 from the field and 1-for-2 from behind-the-arc. It’s expected from him to be on minutes-restriction up to 25 per for the time being as he knocks the rust and tests the knee.
He will continue to start as he had been doing in the past.
He recently saw 31 minutes of action against the Sacramento Kings Friday night so it’s possible that Bev is officially on the mend.
We’ll have to continue to see how this plays out.
There are no injuries to report for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Source(s): Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle
Three Things to Watch:
- James Hardenvs.C.J. McCollum
- Patrick Beverleyvs. Damian Lillard
- Clint Capelavs.Mason Plumlee
Prediction:
109-98in aHouston Rockets’win!
The Rockets hit the road to take on theBlazersat theModa Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for8 p.m. CST.
The game will be televised onROOT Sports Southwestand broadcast onSportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM Internet 890andLa Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!
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