Michael Alexander

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets
Play: Houston Rockets -3.5

The Portland Trail Blazers travel to take on the Houston Rockets in NBA Picks action. The Blazers are coming off four straight blowout wins that have put them within reach of clinching a playoff spot. Portland sits at 48-27 on the season, a half game ahead of Houston for the fourth spot in the West. If they win or Phoenix loses today the Blazers will clinch a playoff spot for the fist time since 2003. Winning today will certainly be a challenge for Portland as they have lost 9 of their last 10 NBA Picks at Houstong while averaging only 82.8 points per game.

The Houston Rockets come into this NBA Picks contest struggling on offense. They have scored less than 88 points in three of their last five games overall, including their loss to the Lakers on Friday. They have been tough on defense however as they limited the Lakers to only 39% shooting from the floor and has allowed 91.1 points per game at home winning 15 of their last 17 including a 98-94 win over Portland back in February.

Trends/Angles: PORTLAND is 7-19 ATS (-13.9 Units) after 3 consecutive covers as a favorite since 1996 while HOUSTON is 21-7 ATS (+13.3 Units) versus teams who average 7 or less steals/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Portland has struggled on the road while Houston has been almost unbeatable on their home hardwood. I'm taking Houston in this one.