True, the Rockets have won five of six, but they're still had some poor efforts in the past month, most recently a 110-104 loss to a substandard Dallas on the weekend. Early this season, we weren't seeing as many ups and down from Houston, especially in November when they beat the Blazers by 24. Now Ime Udoka has to proceed for a while minus unique 6-11 Alperen Sengun (21.8 ppg; ankle). Meanwhile, Portland suddenly looks interesting with wins in three straight and five of six as the Blazers try to solidify themselves in the West play-in field. Reminding of his All-Star credentials, F Deni Avdija continues to produce, and has started 2026 with a bang, scoring at a 32 pg clip in January. Play Blazers