Rockets vs Trail Blazers Odds
The Portland Trail Blazers won three of the first four games in this series, but Game 5 was all about the Houston Rockets. Clutch City defeated Rip City 108-98, in what was the first contest of the series that was decided by double digits.[ad-4468020]
No. 4 Houston (2-3) @ No. 5 Portland (3-2)
Friday, May 2 10:30 PM ET (ESPN)
Moda Center
Spread: PDX -4
Total: 213.5
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Houston
The Rockets have been in desperation mode since losing Game 4 in Portland, but that’s a look that fits them well, as they’ve been lacking the cohesiveness to make this a series.
In Game 5, the Rockets got a much-needed showing from Jeremy Lin. He proved to be the X-factor of the night, as he scored 21 points off the bench. Houston is going to need a similar showing on Friday for two reasons:
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There’s no guaranteeing Patrick Beverley is 100 percent healthy, and there’s no guaranteeing James Harden shoots a decent percentage.
So far in the series, Harden is shooting just 34.7 percent from the field. He’s only knocking down 25 percent of his three-point attempts, although he is scoring 25.4 points per contest in the process.
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Defensively, Houston now knows it has another weapon to cover in Wesley Matthews.
The Trail Blazers’ 2-guard went off for a career playoff best 27 points in Game 5, meaning the Rockets can’t just keep an eye on LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and Nicolas Batum.
Portland
The Trail Blazers finally played a poor offensive game in Game 5 – well, poor based on their own standards. They scored 98 points (their lowest of the series) and they only got eight points out of the three-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.
Despite the lopsided win for Houston, these two teams have been incredibly even-matched throughout the series. Portland hasn’t been able to stop Dwight Howard, but its defense on Harden has been exactly what it needed to threaten an upset.
Now it just has to remember Jeremy Lin is a real-life NBA player and cover him the same way they’ve covered Harden up to this point.
Historically speaking, there are a few things to consider. In Houston’s favor, the Rockets have never lost a playoff series to Portland.
Additionally, the Blazers haven’t been to the second round since 2000, and there are very few players on the roster who have significant playoff experience. In the Trail Blazers’ favor, they won the first two contests of the series.
Only three teams in NBA history have come back from an 0-2 deficit to win a series.
Game 6 is going to be a shootout and a close one at that. But with the Blazers having home-court advantage, give this one to Rip City.
Prediction: Portland 118 – Houston 117
