There will be a lot of action this weekend for the Portland Trail Blazers. Before tomorrow’s double Abe Simpson against the Chicago Bulls, they play the Houston Rockets tonight at the Moda Centre.
Game time: Saturday, January 18, 7 p.m. Pacific Time; teams: Portland Trail Blazers(13-27) and Houston Rickets (27-13).
Setting up your antenna or cable to view: Learn more about your choices by tuning in to Rip City TV.
Instructions for watching online: BlazerVision in the states of Oregon and Washington; NBA TV in all other regions (also accessible online via NBA TV on League Pass).
Jerami Grant is uncertain, Deni Avdija is doubtful, Donovan Clingan and Matisse Thybulle are out for the Trail Blazers.
Rockets: Jabari Smith Jr. and Jock Landale are out with injuries; Amen Thompson is considered day-to-day.
This has been an incredible season for the Rockets. They had the fifth-best net rating in the NBA, having won twice as many games as they had lost. Their ninth-best offence and fourth-best defence allow only 108 points per game, while Portland’s defence allows 117. Jalen Green, a fourth-year guard, has been on fire as of late. In his past eight games, during which Houston has lost just twice, he has averaged over 30 points per game and shot 48% from beyond the arc on nine attempts. Even though he’s just in his second year of basketball, Amen Thompson may be a destructive force if he could master shooting from anyplace. Currently, he averages 78% from the field and 70% from within 10 feet, which is a great strategy.
Toss in Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet, and an Alperen Şengün who may not be reaching his peak from last year, but is certainly near, and you have a recipe for a tasty stew.
In order for the Blazers to have any hope of winning, Anfernee Simons must avoid going scoreless for the second game in a row. This holds true not only for tonight’s game but for all 81 of the Blazers’ games this season. Playing against one of the league’s stingiest defences will put additional pressure on Portland’s most consistent scorers to find the back of the net and create opportunities for their teammates.
Concerning the Rival:
The Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner (subscription required) discusses the Rockets’ belief that they are deserving of not one, but two All-Stars this season:
Green and centre Alperen Şengün are aiming to break the streak of not having a Rockets player in the NBA All-Star Game since James Harden and Russell Westbrook represented the team in 2020… When I was younger, you had to have a year when you were almost an All-Star before you could even dream of getting the call the next year. “I believe those two guys had fantastic seasons last year and are carrying it over into this year,” VanVleet remarked. “Casualties, major players. Personally, I believe in producing work that is self-evident. They ought to be compensated for the fact that those two men are mostly responsible for our current situation. According to Thursday’s most recent update of All-Star fan voting, Şengün was placed sixth among frontcourt players in the Western Conference, while Green did not make it into the top ten among guards in the West. In order to choose the five All-Star starters for each conference, half of the vote is cast by fans, while a quarter each is cast by current players and media. January 20th is the end of the fan voting period.
The Houston Rockets were a disorganised rebuilding mess until head coach and former Blazers player Ime Udoka brought them together last month, as covered in a fantastic ESPN story by Tim MacMahon:
Under Udoka’s leadership, the Rockets’ defence has gone from terrible to fantastic in just 20 months. The coach’s magnetic personality is a big reason why. With an opponent scoring only 105.4% of their points in 100 possessions, Houston’s defence is second to none. But the Rockets signed VanVleet and Brooks to $215 million contracts, giving Udoka two very competitive players to set the tone for the defensive turnaround. Immediately, “that approach rubbed off on our whole team,” Udoka stated. We have a limited amount of time to educate, speak, and attempt to out-plan men. It was priceless for our team to have individuals that do it weekly and have made a name for themselves in the league thanks to their toughness, defensive mindset, and edge. We require it…. Similar to how Udoka battled for a roster spot as an undrafted rookie, VanVleet brings a “edge” to the game, as the coach put it. According to Udoka, “he is a little grumpy old dude and half the time he always finds something to be mad at.” His attitude is perfect for the team.
