NBA Picks and Betting Tips: Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction, 23 November
NLB Staff
22.11.2024 10:17
Rockets v Trail Blazers Prediction
Seeing that the Houston Rockets enter this game having been one of the best young squads in NBA play, they play a Portland group that is starting to show growth this season post-rebuild. As Houston comes off a massive victory against the Indiana Pacers, this Blazers squad has come off a gut-wrenching loss to Oklahoma City. This matchup will occur on November 23rd at 6:30 A.M. IST in Toyota Center of Houston. Below are our top player props, key betting tips, vital injuries, and head-to-head trends to create a prediction for this game.
Rockets v Trail Blazers Key Betting Tips & Predictions
1. Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers Moneyline Pick
As the money line in this game is at -450 for the Houston Rockets, it is a great pick as they have a clear advantage in this matchup. Seeing that Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green will continue their prowess on both ends in their backcourt, they should outscore the young duo of Scoot Henderson plus Shaedeon Sharpe. With Dillon Brooks continuing to lock down a solid scorer in Toumani Camara while firing back the other way, Houston’s frontcourt should continue toe have a massive game as well. With Alperen Sengun a more skilled player than Donovan Clingan inside, he should help Jabari Smith Jr. dominate Jerami Grant to outscore this Blazers front two. All in all, the Rockets should win their fourth straight money line at -450 against Portland.
2. Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers Point Spread Pick
Seeing that the spread in this game favors Houston at -9.5, they should control the pace of this game by having better two-way pieces. With Fred VanVleet starting at point guard for this Rockets squad, his ability to use dribbles to pass outside for shots and finish inside has become a vital aspect. As he continues being a great three-point creator as well, he should continue his offensive prowess against a defender like Scoot Henderson who is having growing pains. Having a shooting guard like Jalen Green gives them more flexibility on both ends of the floor as someone who can provide from the perimeter and behind painted areas. Going up against a weaker defender like Shaedeon Sharpe, he should be able to score with ease while using athletic abilities to create turnovers in transition. With Dillon Brooks still being a key three and defensive guy, he should have a great matchup against Toumani Camara who relies on pace to get in for layups. As Brooks will keep his massive frame in front of him driving, Jabari Smith Jr. should have a great defensive outing against a struggling Jerami Grant from mid-range. As Smith Jr. is a fantastic rebounder too, he should use great length to grab all the boards and support Aleperen Sengun in the middle. Seeing that Sengun has continued being an amazing all-around player who can pass and rebound while finishing inside our outside, he should continue having a massive performance against a very less-efficient center in Donavon Clingan.
3. Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers Over/Under Pick (Total Points)
As the over/under in this game is at 217.5 points, it should be pretty high scoring with both squads having solid options to put in baskets. With the Blazers having a solid backcourt that includes two great drivers who can knock down outside shots, their small forward should continue being a key force for layups. Meanwhile, this Houston squad has an elite duo between their point guard and shooting guard scoring-wise as they both provide high-volume looks from everywhere. Having a strong center inside that can play an all-around offensive game, their wings continue being solid three-point shooters who drive in well as well. Noticing this along with the last game going for 223 points, this should be somewhere or higher in combined score.
Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers Top Player Props
Alperen Sengun over 22.5 points at 1.95: With Alperen Sengun being one of Houston’s main scorers, his ability to finish outside and perimeter shots will make him an unstoppable force to stop. As he gets a mismatch against a young and less-efficient defender in Donovan Clingan, Sengun should continue having a great performance in this matchup. As someone who is averaging 18.4 points a night, he should go way over that average.
Jerami Grant under 19.5 points at 1.65: As Jerami Grant has been shooting at career-low levels this season, Portland will not look at him like their 1st or 2nd scoring option again. Going up against Jabari Smith Jr’s length, he will struggle to finish layups while multiple mid-range shots could be affected by the Rockets forward’s hands in his face. Seeing that Grant has only averaged 16.7 points a night this season, he should be way under the line again.
Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers Injury News & Impact
Houston Rockets Injuries: With the Rockets most likely having Cam Whitmore back in the lineup, they will have no current injuries and should continue being one of the darkhorse squads in this matchup under head coach Ime Udoka.
Portland Trail Blazers Injuries: As the Portland Trail Blazers have both shooting guards, Anfernee Simmons, 16.3 points, due to illness, and Matisse Thybulle, knee issue, still out, their group will have to rely on Shaedeon Sharpe to play an extended amount of time. With Donovan Clingan starting as De’Andre Ayton, 13.3 points, is ruled out with a finger injury, this Portland squad will have a lower-volume scorer in the middle.
Rockets v Trail Blazers Head-to-Head Trends
With the Rockets having won three straight games against Portland heading into this matchup, they will continue trying to build their streak. As the Rockets have averaged 116.3 points in these games, they have managed to win by over 8 points in each game. Seeing that Houston is 5-4 against the spread in their past 9 matches vs Portland, they will look to grow on 5 straight games of over 100 points scored.
Betting Insights & Public Trends
Looking at the public trends, this Houston Rockets squad is backed by 82.7% of bettors to beat the Portland Trail Blazers.
Rockets v Trail Blazers Final Prediction
As these two units have recently made drastic improvements in their play this season, Houston is the way more experienced team and has shown way more capability to be a stronger team. Seeing that Ime Udoka has this group riding the hot-hand, the Rockets should continue their prowess with Fred VanVleet leading them at point guard. Seeing that the guard has been a solid passer this season, the bigger part of his game has been his consistent ability to drive in with elite ball-handling skills. Someone who can finish near the basket with layups and create space for shots outside from three or mid-range, his matchup against Scoot Henderson will be a huge positive for Houston. Seeing that the young Henderson has struggled to contain faster guards like VanVleet on the open floor, his play-making ability on offense will be stopped by the Rockets guard to create steals plus turnovers from traps. As Henderson will try to create shots from three as well, VanVleet’s ability to put a hand in the young Blazers' face will force him into some very tough looks. With the shooting guard position being a great matchup in this game, Jalen Green will have a slight advantage over Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe. Even though the Blazers' shooting guard has shown a great ability to hit shots from the perimeter and around the paint, Houston’s SG continues to be an emerging defender on this squad. With Green having the ability to lock down someone on the best scorers in the mid-range, he will have control over Sharpe there, even though, Portland’s young piece will still knock down great looks from beyond the arc. Given this, Green should attack from the other end as one of the most creative shot creators and finishers with innovative floaters being a huge part. As Sharpe hasn’t shown to be a great defender of that offensive style and is a smaller guard, he will be dominated by Green on defense leading to a huge night for the Rockets SG.
With Houston having a stronger two-way backcourt, their small forward in Dillon Brooks should be able to lockdown Toumani Camara. Although Brooks will have to go against a strong dribbler who always looks to attack for layups, his great balance and core strength will not allow Portland’s small forward to get into the paint that easily. As someone who has a great ability to fire from three himself, Dillon Brooks will get to knock down good looks in this game as he will size up Camara well, while also doing well in the transition of screens. With Jerami Grant playing at power forward for Portland, Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. should continue showing great length and size to stop him from getting the mid-range game going. As Smith Jr.’s offensive game is getting better and should continue his growth against a weaker defender like Grant, the Rockets have a strong advantage at center with an all-around star like Aleperen Sengun going up against a low-volume defender plus scorer in Donovan Clingan. Seeing that the Rockets have studs like Tari Eason and Amen Thompson off the bench, the only way Portland keeps it close is if Rayan Ruepert plus Duop Reath provide at a similar rate.
Our prediction: Houston Rockets win this game and cover their -9.5 spread, while the score goes over 217.5 points.
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