Houston Rockets (13-46, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (28-31, 12th in the Western Conference)
Portland, Oregon; Sunday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers host the Houston Rockets. Lillard currently ranks third in the league scoring 31.4 points per game.
The Trail Blazers have gone 20-17 against Western Conference opponents. Portland averages 13.8 turnovers per game and is 11- when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents.
The Rockets have gone 7-32 against Western Conference opponents. Houston has a 3-26 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Trail Blazers won the last matchup 107-95 on Dec. 18. Anfernee Simons scored 32 points to help lead the Trail Blazers to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Lillard is shooting 37.2% from beyond the arc with 4.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Trail Blazers, while averaging 31.4 points and 7.3 assists. Simons is shooting 47.4% and averaging 18.5 points over the last 10 games for Portland.
Jalen Green averages 2.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Rockets, scoring 21.8 points while shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc. Alperen Sengun is shooting 56.5% and averaging 15.0 points over the last 10 games for Houston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Trail Blazers: 5-5, averaging 120.2 points, 36.3 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 5.5 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 124.3 points per game.
Rockets: 2-8, averaging 110.5 points, 45.0 rebounds, 22.6 assists, 7.0 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.9 points.
INJURIES: Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic: out (calf), Justise Winslow: out (ankle), Anfernee Simons: out (ankle), Ibou Badji: out (knee).
Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr.: out (foot), Jalen Green: out (groin).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
