Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets Prediction: Can Avdija's Return Help Portland Score Upset?
Updated July 9, 2026
The Portland Trail Blazers head to Houston on Friday night for a Western Conference meeting with the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Houston enters the contest in strong form and remains near the top of the conference standings, while Portland continues to navigate injuries and is hanging on for dear life in the Western Conference playoff chase. With Houston favored at home and Portland trying to stay competitive despite missing key contributors, I break it all down below with my Trail Blazers vs Rockets prediction.
Pick: Trail Blazers +6.5 ATS PRO
Confidence: 3 out of 5
Houston has been one of the stronger teams in the Western Conference this season and continues to produce consistent offense behind its core stars. The Rockets recently picked up a 123-118 win over Washington behind dominant performances from their top scorers, showing their ability to control games through efficient scoring and rebounding. But they followed that up with a home loss in overtime to the Golden State Warriors last night and will try to rebound from that here.
Portland arrives dealing with injury concerns and uneven results during its road trip. The Blazers have had difficulty stopping opposing offenses and have allowed well over 115 points per game. Injuries have also affected their rotation, reducing scoring depth and forcing younger players into larger roles. Facing a disciplined Rockets team on the road presents a difficult assignment, though the Blazers have a rest advantage going into this game against a team that is on the second night of a back-to-back.
Houston Rockets
Portland Trail Blazers
Category | Trail Blazers | Rockets |
|---|---|---|
Points per game | 115.3 | 114.7 |
Points allowed per game | 118.3 | 109.5 |
Team Field Goal % | 45% | 47% |
Rebounds Per Game | 45.7 | 48.4 |
Assists Per Game | 24.7 | 24.8 |
Score Projection: Trail Blazers 108 – Rockets 112 ATS PRO
Win Probability: Trail Blazers 35%, Rockets 65% ATS PRO
Houston should be able to win this game on their home floor, but I'm going to take the points with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers have a rest advantage going into this contest with the Rockets playing for the second night in a row. If Avdija is able to make his return to the floor tonight, Portland could very well win this game outright. But as it stands, I'm taking the points with a fresher Blazers team regardless.
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