<p>The Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets will become well acquainted over the next couple of days, as two matches will take place between them in quick succession.</p> <p>The first of these contests will take place on Thursday, January 8, with tip-off at 14:00 AEDT. The second will take place on Saturday, January 10, at the same time.</p> <p>Indeed, this adds further interest to this upcoming clash, as there are potentially several betting opportunities available to punters, especially at Sportsbet, where it’s possible to enjoy competitive NBA betting odds.</p> <p>With that in mind, let’s take a look at the upcoming game between these two teams and provide our top Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets betting predictions below as we aim to help you maximise value from these meetings…</p> <h2>Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets: Betting Preview</h2> <p>One game has already taken place between these two teams this regular season, with the Rockets dominating. They were 140-116 victors when they met in November in Houston, Texas.</p> <p>In that particular game,<strong> Kevin Durant</strong> scored a game-high 30 points to lead his team to victory. Over half of his total points (16) came in the first quarter of the game, which is something bettors may want to consider ahead of this one.</p> <p><strong>Alperen Sengun</strong> had 25 points in the game to add to KD’s 30, with his points spread out evenly across all four periods.<strong> Jabari Smith Jr.</strong> had 22 points, which matched the leader for the Portland Trail Blazers,<strong> Deni Avdija</strong>. He had a double-double, as did Sengun.</p> <p>Elsewhere for the Trail Blazers, <strong>Shaedon Sharpe</strong> had 19 points, but he and Avdija couldn’t stop them from falling to defeat. Losses to the Houston Rockets have followed Portland for some time, as the Trail Blazers have lost six of the last seven meetings. Will this trend continue on Thursday and Saturday?</p> <h2>Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets: Betting Predictions</h2> <p>As we continue to take a look at the betting opportunities in this game, we’re offering the Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets betting prediction that the <strong>Rockets win</strong>.</p> <p>While the Trail Blazers have enjoyed success against Houston in the past and have been in good form, Portland has struggled more recently against the Rockets. We expect this trend to continue.</p> <p>Indeed, players like KD will likely be the difference-maker in this series. We predict <strong>KD will score 25+ points</strong> in this game, as he’ll likely dominate.</p> <p><br /> If the Portland Trail Blazers are to win, they will need to capitalise on the <strong>absence of Sengun</strong>. He is expected to miss both games, allowing them to potentially command the centre of the court. If<strong> Avdija</strong> can get free and be as hot as he has been in recent matches, then we<strong> predict he has 20+ points</strong> in this encounter.</p>