NBA 2018-19: Matches to watch out for in Week 9, Dec 10th to Dec 16th

#4 Houston vs. Portland, Tuesday December 11th

Portland Trail Blazers v Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are currently 14th in the Western Conference standings, and they are officially out of excuses for losing games. Carmelo Anthony shouldered the blame, but he is no longer part of the equation; injuries made things difficult, but the team is back to full strength; poor defence was letting them down following the loss of defensive coordinator Jeff Bzdelik, but he too is back with the team.

The Rockets simply can't play well for four full quarters, and this game hosting the Blazers on Tuesday is a chance for them to turn things around.

Houston have regularly been let down by a single poor quarter in many of their losses; Luka Doncic's heroics against Houston on the weekend was just the latest in a string of Houston collapses.

Meanwhile, Portland's Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have inspired the Blazers to be one of the few NBA teams so far this year to play with consistency. Can they continue their impressive start to the campaign by sinking the Rockets to a new low? Or will James Harden and co. rise to the occasion like the team we came to know in 2017-18?