This Thursday’s game in Houston is the last chance of the Portland Blazers to get a regular-season win against the Houston Rockets. Will the Blazers get that elusive W at the expense of Houston? Or will the Rockets complete a sweep of the Blazers?
Betting Preview for the Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets NBA Regular Season Game on April 5 2018
Where: Toyota Center
When: Thursday, April 5, 8:00pm EST
Line: Portland Trail Blazers () vs Houston Rockets ()– view current NBA betting lines
TV Broadcast: NBA League Pass
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (48-29)
Portland is one of the hottest team since the start of the second half of this season, but the Blazers have yet to solve the puzzle that is the Rockets. They are 0-3 SU against James Harden and gang. They are also 1-1-1 ATS in those matchups. In the last meeting, Portland absorbed a 115-111 loss to Houston at home. There were some positive takeaways for the Blazers though from that game. For one, they beat the Rockets on the glass, 44-38, with Jusuf Nurkic showing his might in the paint by scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Nurkic will be crucial in containing the Rockets’ offense in the paint. (Houston scored just 38 points in the paint in the March meeting, while the Blazers had 48.) The Blazers need Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to step up though after the two combined for just 28 points in the said loss to Houston.
Betting on the Houston Rockets (62-15)
Sure, the Rockets did not score that many points in the last meeting with Portland, but that that was largely because they were cooking barbecue chickens out of the Blazers from deep. James Harden was the executive chef for the Rockets in the game as the MVP candidate drained five threes on his way to scoring 42 big points. As a team, Houston sank 19 three-pointers on an incredible 52.8 percent shooting from the behind the arc. Houston leads the NBA with 15.4 three-pointers per game on 36.4 percent shooting. The Rockets have averaged 15.4 three-pointers in Blazers games. Harden is scoring 30.6 points against the Blazers this season, and he’ll probably just toy with any defender Portland will throw at him Thursday night. Apart from Harden, the other key factor for the Rockets is Chris Paul, who had 22 point and six assists in the past meeting with Portland.
Writer’s Prediction:
Portland wins, 112-108.
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