Tip-off: Monday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Houston -3.5, Total: 198.5

The Blazers look for their sixth straight victory when they head to Texas and take on the Rockets on Monday night.

Portland picked up a fifth straight victory in a 114-88 road blowout of the Pelicans on Saturday, and has now won 10 of its past 12 games SU, but has covered in just five of those contests. Houston, on the other hand, has lost two straight games (SU and ATS), including falling 104-97 as a 5-point home favorite against the Hawks on Saturday. These teams met in the playoffs last season, when the Blazers won the series in six games. The Rockets covered the spread in four of those games, including the 99-98 buzzer-beating win for Portland that clinched the series. Over the last two seasons, the Blazers are 11-1 ATS off an upset win as a road underdog, and are also 26-15 ATS after covering the spread in three of their past four games during that span. However, Houston is 23-11 ATS after a non-conference game over the past two seasons. Also favoring the Rockets is the fact that the Blazers are just 2-13 ATS after a game where their opponent was called for fewer than 14 fouls over the past three seasons. Portland C Robin Lopez (hand) and Houston PF Terrence Jones (leg) both remain out indefinitely, but there are no other injuries to note.

Can the Rockets put an end to Portland's long winning streak? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. While StatFox Forecaster has a strong 57% ATS record (72-54-1) in featured games this season, the five experts have also done well recently with a collective 58% ATS mark (49-35-2) in NBA Best Bets since Nov. 29. StatFox Brian is 72% ATS (13-5) during this timeframe to give him a 58% ATS record (23-17) in NBA Best Bets this season, while StatFox Gary is 65% ATS (11-6) since Nov. 29 to improve to 58% ATS (23-17) in NBA Best Bets this season. Also during this surge, StatFox Dave is 65% ATS (11-6-1).

Blazers PF LaMarcus Aldridge (22.8 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 1.3 BPG) was dominant in a 114-88 victory over the Pelicans on Saturday. The big man finished the game with 27 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in just 29 minutes of action. He’s now averaging 29.5 PPG and 14.0 RPG over the past two contests and should be able to dominate a Rockets team that is a bit undersized at the power forward position. PG Damian Lillard (21.4 PPG, 6.2 APG, 5.0 RPG) is playing some of the best basketball of his career over the past few weeks. Lillard had 17 points and seven assists in just 28 minutes against New Orleans and is now averaging 26.0 PPG, 6.0 APG, 4.4 RPG and 1.6 SPG over the past five contests. He has a tough matchup ahead, with Patrick Beverley likely to be guarding him all game, but Lillard had little trouble getting off his shot in last year's playoffs with Beverley on him. Lillard's buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 6 capped off a series where he averaged 25.5 PPG (47% FG, 49% threes), 6.7 APG, 6.3 RPG and 1.3 SPG. C Chris Kaman (10.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG) will need to be ready to play in this game. With Robin Lopez (hand) out, Kaman is the team’s best option at the center position. He’ll be matched up with Dwight Howard in this game and will need to hold his own or it could get out of hand fast.

The Rockets have lost two straight games, but are in good shape with C Dwight Howard (19.6 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 2.4 BPG) finally healthy again. Howard has averaged 21.5 PPG, 13.3 RPG and 2.8 BPG in 37.5 MPG since returning from his knee injury just four games ago. He should be a nightmare in the post against the Blazers and will just need to avoid foul trouble in order to keep Houston in this contest. SG James Harden (26.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, 6.3 RPG) is going to be the best player on the floor in this game. Harden has averaged just 19.5 PPG in the Rockets’ past two losses, so Houston will need him to get him going as a scorer. Harden is, however, averaging 29.6 PPG, 9.4 APG, 6.2 RPG and 1.4 SPG over the past five contests. Harden has taken off with his distribution skills recently and is really making his teammates better, but he can’t do that at the expense of his own scoring. PF Donatas Motiejunas (10.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG) is a guy that can really help the Rockets in this game. He is averaging 14.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG over the past five contests and has the length to disrupt Aldridge in the paint. Motiejunas was a non-factor when these teams met in the playoffs last season, so maybe throwing him at Aldridge will give the team a spark defensively.