The Houston Rockets (19-55) and Portland Trail Blazers (27-46) face each other Saturday for the second night in a row as the Rockets wrap up a three-game road trip and Portland continues a five-game homestand. Tip-off is 10 p.m. ET at Moda Center. Below, we look at the Rockets vs. Trail Blazers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Rockets won Friday’s matchup 125-106. They have won two of their last three games but that’s their only two victories in their last eight contests. Houston has the fewest wins in the NBA and, even with their win Friday, are tied for the fewest road wins in the league with only eight.
The Trail Blazers have lost two straight games and have won only twice in their last 14 games. They are 17-20 at home this season and are still in contention for a play-in spot despite being 19 games under .500. Portland trails the 10th-place Los Angeles Lakers by four games with nine games left in the regular season.
- Money line: Rockets -180 (bet $180 to win $100) | Trail Blazers +145 (bet $100 to win $145)
- Against the spread (ATS): Rockets -4.5 (-107) | Trail Blazers +4.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 231.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
Rockets at Trail Blazers key injuries
Rockets (not officially submitted)
- None
Trail Blazers (not officially submitted)
- G Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) out
- F Josh Hart (knee) questionable
- F Joe Ingles (knee) out
- G Damian Lillard (core) out
- F Nassir Little (shoulder) out
- C Jusuf Nurkic (foot) out
- G Anfernee Simons (knee) out
- F Justise Winslow (calf) questionable
Rockets at Trail Blazers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Trail Blazers 118, Rockets 114
Money line
This is a tough pick because both teams are struggling. The Blazers have been losing and losing big. The Rockets are 4-19 in their last 23 games, although they have won two of their last three.
The Rockets have not won consecutive games since Jan 16 and 19 and I personally don’t like betting on struggling teams to win two consecutive games over the same opponent.
Despite their struggles, Take the TRAIL BLAZERS (+145).