Portland at Houston

Let's face it. Portland is the higher seed but they aren't the better team. They have shown that by going up 2-1 and by answering Brandon Roy in game three. Roy lit the Rockets up for 42 points in game two as the Trailblazers evened the series with a 107-103 win. But in game three, Houston shut him and the rest of the Blazers down, holding them to 83 points. Now that they have the home court, they need to keep it with a win here. The fact that Houston stole one in Portland is the real surprise as both of these teams are extreme homers. Portland is 35-8 at home but just 20-22 on the road. Houston is 21-22 on the road but 34-8 at home. This game is in Houston and this Rockets team is VERY good here, especially on defense. They held opponents to just 90.9 per game here on the year. Over their last five games they are holding foes to 86.4 per game! They love playing games that are expected to be defensive battles as they are 19-9 ATS now this season when the total is in the 180s. I like the Rockets to take care of business and get the win and cover here.