The PORTLAND and the HOUSTON will both be gunning for a victory on 12/11/2018 at 8:05 PM when they meet in a game matchup.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs HOUSTON ROCKETS
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
| ROT | TEAM | PS | OU | ML |
| 531 | PORTLAND | -6 (-110) | 219 (-110) | 200 -250 |
| 532 | HOUSTON |
TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: -6
PREDICTION: HOUSTON , PORTLAND
Oddsmakers currently have the HOUSTON listed as -6 point favorites versus the PORTLAND, while the game’s total is sitting at 219.
The first 25 games of the season have been a disaster for the Houston Rockets, who look nothing like the squad that reached the Western Conference finals last campaign. The struggling Rockets aim to halt a three-game slide on Tuesday, when they host the Portland Trail Blazers.
Houston has lost seven of its last nine games and is just three setbacks shy of matching last season’s total, but coach Mike D’Antoni feels the team is close to turning things around. “There is no other alternative,” D’Antoni told reporters. “There are a bunch of professional guys in there, and they are trying to figure it out.” Portland hopes it is back on the upswing after posting back-to-back wins following a stretch during which it dropped six of seven games. “We’ve had some bad stretches and we lost some games, trying to fight back and be better,” Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic told reporters. “We showed at the start of the season we can be a lot better than that. And when we play defense and play with edge, we’re a pretty good team.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV, NBCS Northwest (Portland), AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (15-11): Nurkic is coming off a strong all-around performance in Saturday’s 113-105 win over Minnesota as he matched his season high of 22 points and also recorded 11 rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and three steals. Star point guard Damian Lillard, who ranks fourth in the NBA with a 27.2-point scoring average, also is on a roll as he is averaging 30.8, eight assists and 5.8 rebounds over his last four games. Lillard has made multiple 3-pointers in eight straight contests, including a franchise-record 10 on Nov. 28 against Orlando.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (11-14): Houston quickly parted ways with forward Carmelo Anthony when it was clear he didn’t fit and shooting guard Eric Gordon could be the next player shipped out of town. Gordon, who is averaging 15.7 points and shooting a woeful 36.6 percent, made critical comments about the team and expressed that he isn’t enjoying this season at all. “I’m just not having fun, man,” Gordon told The Athletic. “I’m just not. This sucks. Even the times where I have good games. We’re just not using some guys the right way. Are we gonna make the right sacrifices? Do we have the right attitude? Last year was the best year I’ve ever had being a part of a team. We just never had a bad moment.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets have won seven of the last nine meetings, but the Trail Blazers never trailed en route to a 104-85 triumph on Oct. 30.
2. Houston G James Harden is averaging a league-best 30 points and has scored 30 or more in seven of his last 11 games.
3. Portland PF Al-Farouq Aminu has scored in double figures in four of his last five contests and is averaging 14.8 points during that stretch.
PREDICTION: Rockets 113, Trail Blazers 111
| Tony’s Pick | TEAM |
| HOUSTON | -250 |
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