Houston Rockets (22-12, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (18-20, ninth in the Western Conference)Portland, Oregon; Friday, 10 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Portland takes on the Houston Rockets after Deni Avdija scored 41 points in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 103-102 victory over the Houston Rockets.The Trail Blazers have gone 15-13 against Western Conference teams. Portland ranks second in the league with 14.1 offensive rebounds per game led by Donovan Clingan averaging 4.5 offensive boards.The Rockets are 12-11 against Western Conference opponents. Houston has a 2-5 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.The Trail Blazers average 14.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.5 more made shots on average than the 12.6 per game the Rockets allow. The Rockets average 118.9 points per game, 0.2 fewer than the 119.1 the Trail Blazers allow.The teams meet for the third time this season. In the last meeting on Jan. 8 the Trail Blazers won 103-102 led by 41 points from Avdija, while Kevin Durant scored 37 points for the Rockets.TOP PERFORMERS: Shaedon Sharpe is averaging 21.5 points and 1.5 steals for the Trail Blazers. Avdija is averaging 27.7 points over the last 10 games.Jabari Smith Jr. is shooting 44.4% and averaging 15.2 points for the Rockets. Durant is averaging 2.5 made 3- …
