Rockets Seek Revenge, Visit Trail Blazers to Start Road Trip
Back West. Road Building. Avengement.
Houston hits the road once again as they travel back West to start a three game road trip with a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the first matchup between these teams, back on January 27th, the Blazers dealt the Rockets one of their worst losses of the entire season, a 137-134 overtime defeat at home. Malcolm Brogdon hit a tough three, followed by Jerami Grant hitting a wild shot to send the game to overtime, before Portland eventually took over control. Luckily for Houston, none of those players are playing tonight. The Blazers are very injury depleted at the moment, without the likes of Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon, De’Andre Ayton, and Scoot Henderson, among others.
The Rockets are coming off a tough loss to the Clippers which saw Houston blow a 20-point lead. Ime Udoka should have his squad motivated to serve up a dish of revenge to this Blazers team in Portland. Udoka is from the Portland area, as are several Rockets assistants. The players will look to make this a nice homecoming off sorts for their coach by winning two straight road games for the first time all season. Houston won their last road game in Phoenix, and have an even better to chance to get a win over this limping Portland team on Friday night.
Anfernee Simons will be the focal point of Houston’s defense, as he scored 33 points in the first matchup between these squads. Despite the Trail Blazers boasting nearly a full roster, Simons led the team in scoring in Portland’s win in Houston. As long as the Rockets don’t overlook these Blazers, and realize Portland still has professionals on the other side, Houston should be able to win their second straight on the road out West.
Moda Center: Portland, Oregon
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (27-35): Red
Portland Trail Blazers (17-44): White
Tip-Off: 9:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass