Overview
- The teams meet Friday at 7 p.m. PT at Moda Center, two days after Portland’s 103-102 win was confirmed by replay when Tari Eason’s tip-in was ruled late.
- Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 41 points in the first meeting, while Kevin Durant scored 37 and sits 15 points from passing Wilt Chamberlain for seventh on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
- Portland enters on a four-game winning streak and has won six of its past seven games.
- Houston, without Alperen Sengun along with Fred VanVleet and Isaiah Crawford, has recently struggled from three-point range according to SI.com, which linked the dip to Sengun’s absence.
- The Rockets dominated the glass in the previous game with a 57-38 rebounding edge and a 24-6 advantage on the offensive boards, converting those into 23 second-chance points.