The Portland Trail Blazers are set to host the Houston Rockets in a Western Conference showdown on Friday at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Portland is 17-44 overall and 9-21 at home, while Houston is 27-35 overall and 6-24 on the road. The Blazers are out to snap a two-game losing streak after coming up short against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, falling 128-120. Houston is aiming to rebound from a 122-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in their last outing. Scoot Henderson (thigh) and DeAndre Ayton (hand) are out, and Jerami Grant (hamstring) is questionable for Portland.
Tip-off in Portland is at 10 p.m. ET. The Rockets are favored by 6 points in the latest Trail Blazers vs. Rockets odds, and the over/under is 219 points. Before making any Trail Blazers vs. Rockets picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 64-40 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,200. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Rockets vs. Trail Blazers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for the game:
- Trail Blazers vs. Rockets spread: Trail Blazers +6
- Trail Blazers vs. Rockets over/under: 219 points
- Trail Blazers vs. Rockets money line: Trail Blazers: +183, Rockets: -223
- Trail Blazers vs. Rockets picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Trail Blazers
On Wednesday Portland couldn't handle the OKC Thunder, falling 128-120. Despite their loss, the Trail Blazers saw several players rise to the challenge with noteworthy performances. Anfernee Simons, who scored 29 points along with five assists, was perhaps the best of all. Simons has been hot recently, having posted 29 or more points the last three times he's played.
The Blazers have struggled in their first season of the post-Damian Lillard era. With a 17-44 overall record, Portland sits in 14th place in the Western Conference and is destined for the NBA Draft lottery. Simons has been one of the few bright spots for the Blazers this season. He enters Friday averaging 22.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Rockets
Meanwhile, Houston was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Wednesday as they fell 122-116 to the L.A. Clippers. Alperen Sengun put forth a good effort for the losing side as he dropped a triple-double on 23 points, 19 rebounds, and 14 assists. He has been hot recently, having posted ten or more rebounds the last three times he's played.
The Rockets have a talented, young core group of players to build around. Sengun leads the way for Houston, and has been a double-double machine this season. The 21-year-old center enters Friday's matchup averaging 21.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Trail Blazers vs. Rockets picks
The model has simulated Trail Blazers vs. Rockets 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under on the point total, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Rockets vs. Trail Blazers, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Portland vs. Houston spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 64-40 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
