Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets 11/18/19 NBA Betting Odds and Prediction

The Portland Trail Blazers visit Space City on Monday night for a showdown against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

The Blazers head to Houston after defeating the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night in San Antonio. Portland is currently in 5th place in the Northwest Division with their 5-8 SU record. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have won seven straight games and are the #1 team in the Southwest Division with their 10-3 SU record. The Rockets scored a 125-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last outing.

Disappointing Start

The Portland Trail Blazers are off to a disappointing start to their 2019-20 campaign. The Blazers opened the season with a 3-2 SU record but since the start of this month, Portland has struggled mightily. The Blazers are just 2-6 SU this month and that’s not what everyone expected from the team that made the Western Conference Finals last season.

Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum continue to lead the Blazers. The duo combined for 54 points in their last game against the Spurs. Lillard is averaging 29.8 points to lead Portland while McCollum is having another big season at 21.3 points per game this season. Hassan Whiteside is also contributing 15.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game this season but Portland is still missing Jusuf Nurkic who is out with an injury.

The Blazers are ranked 11th in scoring at 112.8 points per game scored this season. Portland is 11th in rebounding at 46.5 boards grabbed per contest and is at the bottom in passing at only 17.8 assists per game. Portland is in the Bottom 10 in scoring defense at 114.1 points per game allowed this season. The Blazers are the NBA betting underdogs against the red hot Rockets.

Harden on Fire

The Houston Rockets are off to a red hot start to their 2019-20 campaign with a 10-3 SU record which is #1 in the Southwest Division. Houston has won seven straight games heading to this contest and they are riding high on the hot hands of James Harden who is on fire.

The 2018 NBA MVP is averaging 43 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 2.3 steals during the Rockets’ current winning streak. Harden led the Rockets with 49 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists while hoisting a career-high 41 shots against the Wolves in a game where the team played without four out of their top five scorers.

Houston is the second highest-scoring team in the league at 118.2 points per game this season. The Rockets are tied for 11th in rebounding at 46.5 boards hauled per outing and they are 26th in assists with 20.8 dimes per contest. The Rockets defense allows the 9th most points this season at 114.2 points per game.

Who Wins?

Portland is 2-6 SU in their last eight games played. The Blazers are 4-4 SU in eight road games played this season and 4-9 SU in their last 13 games played against the Western Conference. Houston is 7-0 SU in their last seven games played. The Rockets are 5-1 SU in six home games played this season. Head to head, the Rockets are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games against the Blazers. Houston is also 4-1 SU in their last five home games against Portland.

Expectations were high on Portland after going all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season. However, Portland has struggled off the gates. The team has signed Carmelo Anthony to perhaps give the team a boost although it’s not scoring that’s troubling them this season.

The Rockets are seeing another historic run from James Harden. The 2018 MVP is in a zone in the last two weeks and when he’s locked in, there’s no stopping him. Clint Capela is listed as day to day for the Rockets but with Harden playing this well, it’s hard to stop this well-oiled Rockets machine.

Russell Westbrook is expected to return after resting against Minnesota. With Houston having its three best scorers on hand, they should be able to overpower the Trail Blazers in what is expected to be a Western Conference shootout between two teams who don’t play much defense. I’m taking the Rockets in a shootout with any team in the league right now.

Prediction: Houston Rockets

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Other Bets to Make

The Blazers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played. Portland is 6-3 ATS in their last nine road games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Southwest Division. The Rockets are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games played and 3-3 ATS in six home games played this season. Houston is 6-1 ATS in their last seven November games. Head to head, the Blazers are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games against the Rockets, including 3-1 ATS in their last four meetings.

The Rockets have outscored the Blazers by an average of 2.5 points per game in their last 10 games played but Portland has outscored Houston by an average of 6.67 points per game in their most recent three meetings. Houston has won five out of its last seven games by seven points or more. With the way the Rockets have been shooting the three-ball, I don’t expect this to be a close game. Give me the Rockets here.

Prediction: Rockets -6.5

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The over is 7-5-1 in Portland’s 13 games played this season. The over is also 4-3-1 in the Blazers’ eighth road games played this season. The total has gone over in 11 out of the last 15 November games played by Portland. On the other hand, The under is 9-4 in the Rockets’ 13 games played this season including 5-0 in their last five games played. The total has gone under in four out of the Rockets’ last five games against the Western Conference. Head to head, the total has gone under in four out of the last five games between the Blazers and Rockets.

These teams have combined to score an average of 220.7 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 204.67 points per game in their last three head to head games played. Houston has allowed just 105 or fewer points in five out of their last seven games played. The Rockets are the second-highest scoring team in the league this season and these teams are in the Bottom 10 in scoring defense. I don’t expect these teams to play defense here.

Prediction: Over 232

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