Shaedon Sharpe looks to keep stacking good games as the Portland Trail Blazers head to Houston to take on the Kevin Durant-led Houston Rockets in NBA Cup action tonight. Sharpe lands in H-Town on a mission
to continue the burst of scoring he’s displayed in his last two outings. He will look to exert his will over a Rockets squad that has the most potent offense in the NBA.
What You Need to Know
Portland Trail Blazers (6-5) vs. Houston Rockets (7-3) – Fri., Nov. 14 – 5pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network.
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else.
How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network
Trail Blazers injuries: Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle, Blake Wesley (Out)
Rockets injuries: Dorian Finney-Smith, Fred VanVleet (Out)
What to Watch For:
Reps Remove Doubt. Shaedon Sharpe scored 31 points in a loss to Orlando. Two nights later, he dropped a season-high 35 points on New Orleans. He was perfect from two-point range versus the Pelicans, going 11-for-11. If Sharpe can be a volume scorer every night, it could transform this team into something special.
Cream of the West. As the Blazers wing their way from East to West, the competition gets notably stiffer. Houston is one of the league’s hottest teams. It has won six of its last seven games. Led by Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, the Rockets boast the league’s best offense and its eighth best defense. The team averages 124 points per game, shooting 49.8% from the floor.
The Turkish Tower. Point guard Fred VanVleet is out for the season. And, Houston has turned to 23-year-old big man, Alperen Sengun, to pick up the slack. The offseason addition of Slim Reaper, Kevin Durant, opens the floor for Sengun. Ten games into this season, he has emerged as a top-five center who distributes the ball like a point guard, averaging 7.2 assists and 22.1 points per game.
What Others Are Saying:
Ime Wants the Strap. Houston Coach, Ime Udoka, continues to demonstrate he is among the most elite of NBA coaches to emerge from the Rose City. Just three years after he was pushed out of Boston in the wake of a scandal, the Jefferson Democrat alum has turned the Rockets from a doormat into a serious playoff contender. The man knows how to motivate his players.
“Houston’s coach followed his pregame duel with Green by giving center Alperen Şengün a quick shove to the chest, then lowering his shoulder into Jabari Smith Jr. (Udoka paid no mind to the combined $307 million in contracts assigned to the two big men as he barreled his way to the bench.)“
Lamar Lost his Mind. Thank you, sir. May I have another?
The Yang Strategy. Blazers center Yang Hansen has been glued to the bench of late. The Rookie Wire reports that acting head coach, Tiago Splitter, wants to see more development off the court.
“Just the little things about the NBA, like how not to foul when someone drives. Just be ready for the physicality that guys are going to come at you, and you got to box out every time. Little things like that. Little details that are very important (in) this league. Sometimes, you just need time.”
