Houston Rockets: 5 must-watch games in December

5. Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers (Dec. 11)

The Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers played four times last season, and every game came down to the wire. The Rockets actually swept the season series, but each matchup was decided by nine points or less, with two of those games being decided by four points or less.

Last season, Houston’s opening matchup with Portland on Dec.  9, 2017 was a thriller. The Rockets erased a 14-point deficit with a thunderous 40-point fourth quarter to defeat Portland 124-117.

The stat sheet looked all too familiar. James Harden dropped a game-high 48 points, Chris Paul had 26 points and led the team with 7 assists, Clint Capela finished with a double-double. For the Blazers, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for 63 points, but it wasn’t enough.

The Blazers played the Rockets on Oct. 30 earlier this season and defeated Houston 104-85 to cap off Houston’s first four-game losing streak. James Harden didn’t play in that game, and Chris Paul and Eric Gordon had terrible shooting nights from the floor, which explains why the Rockets only managed to score 85 points.

Assuming everyone from both sides are healthy, the matchup between the Rockets and the Blazers could resemble what we saw all of last year. An entertaining, 3-point shooting heavy game that comes down to the wire. Hopefully the Rockets can come out on top again, too.

Next: No. 4