Portland @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 9, 2017 ) Houston 124, Portland 117

The Houston Rockets will continue trying to rediscover their early season form when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Houston has dropped seven of its last 10 games after a sizzling 25-4 start and is looking to defeat the Trail Blazers for the fifth time in the last six meetings.

NBA leading scorer James Harden (32.3) will be on the sidelines for the fifth straight game and his hamstring injury could possibly keep him out for the rest of the month. The Rockets won their most recent game when they drained 20 3-pointers in Monday's 116-107 road win over the Chicago Bulls. Portland star guard Damian Lillard (calf, hamstring) will likely miss his third straight game and his eighth in the past 10 contests. The Trail Blazers outclassed the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-106 on Tuesday for their fourth victory in the past five games.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Northwest (Portland), AT&T Sports Net Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (22-18): Shooting guard CJ McCollum is averaging 24 points and 6.7 assists over the past three games and Portland has won each despite not having Lillard. He said the loss of Lillard provides a looser atmosphere in terms of expectations. "There's not as much pressure," McCollum said after the victory over the Thunder. "Obviously, you're down a guy like Damian, who's able to do everything and can take over a quarter and bail us out at times. When we come on a road trip like this, the guys are like, 'Oh, Damian's hurt. We're not supposed to win.' I think everybody plays a little bit looser, understanding that we're playing against upper-tier Western Conference competition."

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (28-11): Starting guards Eric Gordon and Chris Paul scored 24 points apiece and Gerald Green tallied 22 off the bench in Monday's game when Houston blew a 21-point lead and regained control by making seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The Rockets put up 54 3-pointers in the contest and were just 5-of-25 in the middle two quarters after being a torrid 8-of-13 in the opening 12 minutes. "It means we take a lot of 3s, I do know that," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni said afterward. "We are trying to take the right shot and the right play. We will go on a fast break and jack up the 3. ... We will do that. If guys feel comfortable and confident, why not? I kind of like us doing that."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Harden scored 48 points as the Rockets recorded a 124-117 win in Portland on Dec. 9.

2. Portland PG Shabazz Napier is averaging 18 points on 12-of-19 over the past two games.

3. Houston C Clint Capela had 15 points and 16 rebounds against Chicago for his 20th double-double of the campaign.

PREDICTION: Rockets 124, Trail Blazers 120