Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Prediction: Injury Report, Starting 5s, Betting Odds & Spreads - December 17

The Portland Trail Blazers (16-13) are coming into tonight's game off the back of a tough 130-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Prior to that, the Trail Blazers were on a three-game winning streak. Their opponents tonight, the Houston Rockets (9-19), have had an unfortunate season thus far.

The Rockets are coming into tonight's game off the back of a close 111-108 loss to the Miami Heat. They were on a two-game winning streak before that, picking up major upsets over the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, respectively. The Rockets' weak defensive play could hinder them yet again tonight.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Match Details

Fixture: Trail Blazers @ Rockets

Date & Time: Saturday, December 17, 08:10 p.m. ET

Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Injury Report

On the Trail Blazers' front, small forward Nassir Little is out due to a right hip injury. Shooting guard Gary Payton II is out due to an abdominal injury.

On the Rockets' end, small forward Jae'Sean Tate is out with an ankle injury. Center Alperen Sengun is probable despite a sprained ankle. Power/small forward Tari Eason is probable despite recent ankle issues.

Player	Team	Injury	Status
Nassir Little	Trail Blazers	Hip	Out
Gary Payton II	Trail Blazers	Abdomen	Out
Jae'Sean Tate	Rockets	Ankle	Out
Alperen Sengun	Rockets	Ankle	Probable
Tari Eason	Rockets	Ankle	Probable

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Betting Odds & Spreads

Team	Spread	Over/Under	Money line
Trail Blazers	-4 (-110)	Ov 228 (-110)	-165
Rockets	+4 (-110)	Un 228 (-110)	+140

Up To $1,250 Back On Your First Bet + 1000 Tier Credits + 1000 Reward Credits®

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Starting 5s

Trail Blazers - PG: Damian Lillard, SG: Anfernee Simons, SF: Josh Hart, PF: Jerami Grant, C: Jusuf Nurkic

Rockets - PG: Kevin Porter, SG: Jalen Green, SF: Eric Gordon, PF: Jabari Smith, C: Alperen Sengun

Trail Blazers vs. Rockets Prediction

The Portland Trail Blazers have been a strong team on offense throughout this season. The likes of shooting guard Anfernee Simmons and point guard Damian Lillard are likely going to be too much for the Rockets' rickety defense to withstand. Defensively, though, the Trail Blazers haven't had a great time nailing stops, which has cost them dearly more than once this season.

The Rockets, meanwhile, have floundered badly for much of this season and, bar a few major upset wins, haven't looked ideal on either end of the court. Considering their struggles to gain adequate momentum this season, coupled with the alarming number of points they tend to let through, the Rockets are likely in trouble tonight.