Portland visits Houston after Harden's 41-point game
Portland Trail Blazers (17-24, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (26-13, fifth in the Western Conference)
Houston; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EST
LINE: Rockets -8.5; over/under is 236
BOTTOM LINE: Houston hosts the Portland Trail Blazers after James Harden scored 41 points in the Rockets' 121-110 loss to the Grizzlies.
The Rockets have gone 15-9 against Western Conference opponents. Houston is 26-11 in games when scoring more than 100 points.
The Trail Blazers are 9-16 in conference matchups. Portland has a 5-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Rockets won 132-108 in the last matchup on Nov. 18. Harden led Houston with 36 points, and CJ McCollum led Portland with 25 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Harden leads the Rockets averaging 5.1 made 3-pointers and scoring 37.8 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. Russell Westbrook has averaged 19.3 points and 4.4 assists over the last 10 games for Houston.
Damian Lillard leads the Trail Blazers averaging 26.8 points and grabbing 4.1 rebounds. McCollum has averaged 18.1 points and collected three rebounds while shooting 40.2 percent over the last 10 games for Portland.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 6-4, averaging 114.8 points, 46.9 rebounds, 20.9 assists, 6.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.5 points on 45.1 percent shooting.
Trail Blazers: 3-7, averaging 109.6 points, 43.3 rebounds, 19 assists, 5.3 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.2 points on 47.4 percent shooting.
INJURIES: Rockets: Gerald Green: out (left foot), Nene: out (abductor).
Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic: out (leg fracture), Skal Labissiere: out (knee), Mario Hezonja: day to day (back), Zach Collins: out (shoulder), Rodney Hood: out for season (leg).
