Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets: Preview
The ninth-seeded Houston Rockets will be meeting the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, as the two teams meet for the fourth time in the 2015-2016 NBA regular season.
The Rockets drew first blood when the two teams met for the first time on November 18th, as the team was fresh off the firing of former head coach Kevin McHale. In the said game, Houston managed to come out victorious in overtime, with a score of 108-103.
Four-time NBA All-Star James Harden had the most contributions as he piled in 45 points, along with eight rebounds and 11 assists and shot 11 out of 29 from the field through 47 minutes of playing time. Forward Trevor Ariza also contributed significant numbers as he scored 18 points, eight rebounds, and one steal, as he shot 6 out of 18 from the field, through 37 minutes of playing time.
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The Blazers came back in full swing in the second encounter, as they avenged the previous loss with a final tally of 96-79 during their February 6th encounter.
In the said game, point guard Damian Lillard scored a double-double, with 21 points and ten assists, and pulled down a total of four rebounds. He also shot 7 out of 20 from the filed, through 36 minutes of playing time. Guard CJ McCollum helped out, as he piled in 16 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. He shot 6 out of 13 from the field, through 39 minutes of playing time.
The third game took place four days after, with the Blazers hosting. Portland once again put on a convincing performance, with an end tally of 116-103.
In the said game, Lillard once again took charge, as scored 31 points, and added three rebounds and nine assists to his stat line. He also shot 9 out of 22 from the field, through 35 minutes of playing time.
Forward Maurice Harkless also made significant contributions, as he scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, and shot 8 out of 11 from the field, through 28 minutes of playing time.
The Houston Rockets currently hold a record of 28-29, while the Portland Trailblazers are on a 30-27 slate.
