NBA Basketball: Houston Rockets VS Portland Trail Blazers Pick and Predictions 02/26/2023

Game: 9:000 PM ET,  Sunday, February 26th, 2023

Venue: Moda Center at the Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

TV:  NBA League Pass

Rockets: 13-46, 15th place Western Conference

Blazers: 28-31, 12th place Western Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread: Blazers -9.5, O/U 230.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Blazers -9.5, O/U 230.5

Fanduel: Point Spread:  Blazers -9.5, O/U 230.5

Rockets: PG TyTy Washington, SG Josh Christopher, SF Kenyon Martin JR, PF Jabari Smith Jr, C Alperen Sengun

Blazers: PG Damian Lilliard, SG Shaedon Sharpe, SF Cam Reddish, PF Jeremi Grant, C Drew Eubanks

A Western Conference matchup between the worst team and a team struggling not to become the worst.  Another Rockets game, another HUGE underdog position for the Rockets.  The Rockets are not built for winning this year… and may not be built for winning for several years to come if they don’t luck out in the NBA Draft Lottery… A few times!  The Portland Trail Blazers have an amazing franchise player in PG Damian Lilliard.  Damian is capable of hitting very big shots no matter what is at stake.  He has waved goodbye to better teams in the Playoffs with buzzer beating daggers.  He never loses his swagger.  He wants to build something great in Portland because he is so fiercely loyal.  However the Blazers management have not shown an ability to build the team for him.  The day may come when the Blazers are forced to trade the best player the franchise ever had… that will be a sad day for Oregon.  The great betting opportunity here is in simply knowing that the Rockets do not win games and don’t have a capable enough defense to cover most spreads.

The Houston Rockets are the worst team in the league (by design) AND they are missing their starting backcourt.  Even though those starters are just kids learning to play in the NBA… They are still better than the scrubs the Rockets will be forced to start.  The Rockets have only won 2 of their last 10 games… Going 5-5 ATS… However those 5 wins ATS came BEFORE they sat both their starting PG and starting SG… and 4 of the wins ATS came before they traded their starting veteran SF who was really a SG anyway. They lost their last game to the Golden State Warriors 116-101.  For a big loss ATS. In that game SF Kenyon Martin Jr got 22 points but was -24 on the +/- scale for his time on the court. No Rocket seemed capable of playing defense AND as a team they shot 39%... Not from 3, but overall!

The Portland Trail Blazers have won 5 of their last 10 games.  Going 3-6-1 ATS.  This matchup is really a chance for the Rockets to “get right” against a bad team.  The Blazers lost their last game to the Sacramento Kings 133-116. In that loss SG Damian Lilliard did not play, but there were some positives as Cam Reddish had 24 points from the SG spot and SF Nassr Little had 26 points from the SF spot.  Both these guys are basically ground up rebuilds after being mostly disappointing in their first 3 seasons in the league.  If they can finally come around?... Next season may be much brighter for Portland.

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The Rockets are 29th in scoring with 109.6 points per game, and 4th in rebounds with 46.5 per game. On defense they rank 25th while allowing 118.1 points per game. They are a pathetic -8.5 points per game!  That won’t get them any wins.  They might not win the rest of the year unless they play Detroit again.

The Portland Trail Blazers are 13th in scoring with 114.9 points per game, and 27th in rebounds with 41.4 per game.  On defense they rank 18th while allowing 115.3 points per game.  They also have a negative points per game average.. But only -0.40.  Manageable but not a winning stat.

Our prediction for Sunday, February 26th is…. Blazers 119 - Rockets 102

Bet on the Blazers.  The Rockets aren’t really a full NBA team… They are an incubator.  Their current job is to grow teenagers into NBA players and KEEP LOSING to get the best NBA draft pick possible. In that capacity other NBA players have a perfect team against which to set season highs in scoring.

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Houston is 4-1 ATS versus Portland in Portland the last 3 seasons.

Houston is 8-19 ATS as a road underdog this season.

Portland is 9-2 ATS against Southwest division opponents.

Rockets: C Alperen Sengun.  Alperen is the steadiest player in the Rockets line-up.  He doesn’t have the highest upside or the basketball pedigree… But he is a big body with a fair amount of skill.  He will be in the league for a long time barring injury.  Should the Rockets win the NBA Draft Lottery he will become an instant trade chip.

Blazers: PF Jerami Grant.  King of the bounce around guys… He has played in lots of stops in his 8 season NBA career.  Getting a little better at each spot.  He is not an all-star but is among the group right underneath that.  He is capable of big scoring games and they will all be needed if the Blazers expect to win anymore games the rest of the season.

Rockets: Stephen “babysitters club” Silas

Blazers: Chauncey “Seen Better Days” Billups