Rockets at Trail Blazers
Star guard James Harden looks to record his sixth consecutive 40-point effort when the red-hot Houston Rockets visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. The reigning MVP's torrid play has lifted Houston out of a lackluster start and the club is looking for its seventh straight win and 12th in its past 13 games.
Harden has posted back-to-back 40-point triple-doubles - he is tied for second in NBA history in that category with 11 - and has topped 30 points in each of the past 11 games, averaging 41.1 points during the stretch. Harden drained the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left in overtime as the Rockets rallied from a 20-point deficit to post a 135-134 road win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. Portland dropped a 111-109 decision to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday in the opener of a five-game homestand. Star point guard Damian Lillard is averaging 24 points over the past two games but is just 2-of-17 from 3-point range during the span.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), NBCS Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (22-15): Explaining his prowess is tougher for Harden than draining the winning shot over elite defender Draymond Green to cap a performance of 44 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. "I take my shots, I drive to the basket," Harden told reporters afterward. "I shoot my step-backs with confidence and live with the results." Center Clint Capela is also thriving and has topped 20 rebounds in three of the past six games after collecting 21 boards and matching his career high of 29 points against Golden State.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (22-17): Shooting guard CJ McCollum scored 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting in the loss to the Thunder and has hit 12-of-34 shots over the past two games after scoring 35 on 13-of-18 shooting against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. McCollum has been inconsistent this season and has made fewer than 36 percent of his shots in six of the past nine games. "I think he's giving good effort," Portland coach Terry Stotts said in Friday's postgame press conference. "He's probably not shooting the ball as well as he would like or we would like. But I think he's competing ... unfortunately for CJ, people tie his play into how he's shooting the ball."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets have won eight of the past 10 meetings after splitting this season's first two matchups.
2. Portland C Jusuf Nurkic recorded 22 points and eight rebounds against the Thunder and is averaging 21.6 points and 12 rebounds over the past five games.
3. Houston G Austin Rivers has scored in double digits in all five games since joining the club and matched his season best of 18 points against the Warriors.