Rockets Touch Down in Portland to Face Trail Blazers
Rubber Match. Revenge Time. First Half Finale.
Houston closes out their three game road trip with a visit out West to meet the Portland Trail Blazers. The Rockets are 1-1 so far on this road trip, and coming off a loss in Sacramento to the Kings on Thursday night. Houston is 1-1 against the Portland this season, with both games coming in H-Town on consecutive nights earlier in the campaign. While the Rockets won the first matchup, they lost the second, and will be looking for the revenge in the rubber match tonight in Portland. This is Houston’s only trip to Portland on the schedule, and tonight’s tilt marks the final matchup between these squads this season.
The Trail Blazers have lost three straight games, and enter this matchup with a 13-27 record, good for 13th place in the Western Conference. The Rockets should be able to beat a younger and less talented Blazers team tonight. Jerami Grant, Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson are some Portland players Houston needs to keep an eye on in particular. Regardless, the Rockets have no excuses to lose this game. Unlike the Kings, who are on of the hottest teams in basketball, the Blazers are headed in the opposite direction.
On Thursday night, Tari Eason finally made his long awaited return after missing a dozen straight games. It’s good for Houston to finally have both Terror Twins back. Their impact to this team’s success cannot be understated. Fred VanVleet will be returning to the lineup tonight after missing Thursday night’s game due to personal reasons. Tonight’s matchup is also the finale of this three game road trip for the Rockets, who will return home for a matinee matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Monday, which is also MLK Day.
So far in 2025, Jalen Green has been one of the best players in the entire league. Green’s coming off a 28 point performance in the loss in Sac-Town. Look for him to have another scoring night in the 30’s against a bad defensive Portland team. Tonight’s game also marks the end of the first half of the season for Houston, as this is game 41 out of 82 overall. The Rockets aim to put an emphatic mark on what’s been a very successful first half so far with another win. And with a victory, Houston will tie their road win total, 14, from last season. Expect the Rockets to get back on track, and beat the Blazers tonight to close out the first half of this season.
Moda Center: Portland, Oregon
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (27-13): White
Portland Trail Blazers (13-27): Red
Tip-Off: 9:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass