Tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET the Portland Trailblazers (31-9) kick off a TNT double-header against Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets (27-15) at the Toyota Center. Live stream the game here; Blazers fans can follow the action on 1190 KEX Portland, while Houston fans may do the same on KBME Sports Talk 790.
The Blazers are on a five-game winning streak, spurred chiefly by power forward LaMarcus Aldridge who is turning in double-doubles as if he's incapable of performing at a lower level. Head coach Terry Stotts prefers to look at the big picture though, including the many shooters surrounding Aldridge.
"I was really proud of the way our team played, especially on the heels of an emotional win in San Antonio," Stotts said. "Our resolve, defensively, I thought was very good and got us into a position to have a large lead."
Portland is proving that their hot start was no fluke, and they expect to continue winning games against opponents of all levels. "We're beating teams that are upper echelon, home and road. We just got to keep our heads down and stay humble and know that we can compete with anybody," forward Wesley Matthews said. "We're not getting too full of ourselves. We're sticking with the process."
The matchup between Aldridge and Dwight Howard will get top billing, while James Harden is the Rockets' leading scorer. However, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale is eyeing power forward Terrence Jones as an X-factor.
"He's got enough skill that he can put the ball on the floor, he can make shots, he can drive, he can finish, he can pass," McHale said. On the year Jones is giving the Rockets 11.6 points and 7.7 rebounds a night while playing 28 minutes. He's hitting 51 percent of his shots from the field, and helping keep the paint open for Howard to operate.
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