The Portland Trail Blazers have hit a groove of late, picking up steam as they push for the postseason. There is little room for error down the stretch and they have a huge game coming up this week against the Houston Rockets.
The Trail Blazers get the game at home but are facing off with a Houston team which has an MVP candidate in James Harden and one that has proven to be among the cream of the crop in the Western Conference.
Houston will likely be a slight road favorite but the Trail Blazers can win this game if they can get a big showing from the backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, March 30, 2017, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Rockets are 51-22 straight up and 42-31 against the spread. Houston has played in 36 road games on the season and has been fantastic, covering in 24 of them. The Rockets are 32-28 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
The Trail Blazers are 35-38 straight up and 33-40 against the spread. Portland has played in 34 games at home this year and has covered in 16 of them. The Trail Blazers have covered in 14 of 33 attempts as the underdog.
Key Stat
Eighth. That’s the Trail Blazers’ current seeding the Western Conference. The team is tied with the Denver Nuggets for the last playoff spot right now and every win matters.
Portland faces Denver on Tuesday this week before its matchup against the Rockets. The Blazers also face Utah twice and must take on a strong San Antonio team in this final stretch of games, so it’s going to be tough to hold on to the final spot.
Upsetting one or two of the playoff teams ahead of it in the standings seems essential for Portland to make the postseason itself.
Portland is averaging 108 points per game behind leading scorer Lillard who is putting up 26.8 points per game. The team is riding a three-game winning streak heading into the week.
Player to Watch
Harden -- The Rockets’ guard continues to make his case for the league’s MVP this season, averaging a team-high 29.4 points a game while also leading the team in rebounds with eight per game and assists with 11.3. He has captured 19 triple-doubles this season.
The last time these two teams met back on November 27th, Harden finished with 38 points and 10 assists. He had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists in the first meeting of the season earlier that same month.
Harden is a solid shooter and time and time again the Rockets have looked to their star guard in clutch situations. Entering this week’s games, Harden is averaging 44.8 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from behind the three-point line.
Free NBA ATS Pick
Harden is going to get his points, but the Trail Blazers hope to slow down his supporting cast. This one seems like it will be a shootout as the Rockets push the pace at every opportunity and the Blazers don’t mind playing at a warp speed.
Lillard and McCollum should have big games as well, and it could come down to who hits the clutch shots down the stretch. The Rockets are the better team, but this night will belong to the guard duo of Portland as the Blazers claw for their playoff loves.
Choose Portland in an upset and check out the scoring total as this one will be up and down throughout.
NBA Odds: Blazers 119, Rockets 117
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