Damian Lillard and company split the first two meetings with the Houston Rockets season. They won the last time, 117-107, after getting trounced by 24 points back in mid-November. Can they take the season series lead now that it will be set in Portland?

HOME TEAM: Portland Trail Blazers (20-27, at home)

As seen in their win-loss card, the Blazers are in a rough and forgettable season. The good thing, however, is they are coming into the game fresh-off a 139-129 win over the Indiana Pacers, where they put up their highest scoring output of the season.

Damian Lillard has been scoring at will this past week and he didn’t disappoint Monday against the Pacers. With the world mourning the untimely passing of Kobe Bryant, Dame sunk eight threes en route to 50 points while also dishing out 13 assists. He has now scored 50, 47, and 61 points in his last three games (52.7 PPG).

The insane stretch is a perfect momentum builder for Lillard, who has only averaged 19 points on 34.3%-shooting in his two match-ups with the Rockets this season.

CJ McCollum will be in his second game back from a sprained right ankle. He looked healthy on Monday as he tallied 28 points and five assists. CJ is netting a team-high 24.5 PPG in the season series with Houston.

Hassan Whiteside, meanwhile, is looking to continue being a massive force downlow. The big man is posting 17.3 points, 15 boards, and 4.3 blocks across his last three games.

ROAD TEAM: Houston Rockets (29-17, 14-10 on the road)

The Rockets are winners in three of their last four games. They had a pretty impressive performance on Tuesday too as they derailed the Utah Jazz’s red-hot run with a 126-117 win despite James Harden (thigh), Clint Capela (heel), and Russell Westbrook all sitting out due to injuries. Westbrook was rested more than anything so he can be expected to return tomorrow; Harden and Capela are still listed as day-to-day.

With their superstar duo out, the supporting cast stepped up big time. Eric Gordon smoked the vaunted Jazz defense by scoring a career-high 50 points on 14-for-22 shooting (six threes), while Austin Rivers and Danuel House each added 21 – the latter was also a menace on the passing lanes as he recorded a career-high five steals.

Westbrook should be able to pick up where he left off. He’s posting 33.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 1.9 steals on 53.8%-shooting over his last eight outings. He’ll also benefit from Gordon, Rivers, and House being on the heels of a productive game.

PREDICTION:

The Rockets record their second-straight road win, 119-114. The Lillard and Westbrook match-up should be pretty entertaining, as well as former Rocket Carmelo Anthony targeting revenge over his old team.