Houston (15-9) at Portland (11-14) 10:00 pm EST
PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) - Rookie guard Brandon Roy is expected
to be in the lineup for the first time in nearly six weeks when
the surging Portland Trail Blazers host the Houston Rockets on
Wednesday.
Roy has missed the last 19 games due to a heel injury that
forced him to wear a walking boot as part of his rehabilitation.
After cracking the starting lineup, Roy averaged 18.3 points in
the first three games before suffering the injury at the Los
Angeles Clippers on November 6. He sat out one game and played
just seven minutes vs. New Orleans on December 10 before going
on the inactive list.
The Trail Blazers have won four in a row and are looking for
their first five-game run since February 18-24, 2004. However,
they have lost nine of the last 10 meetings with the Rockets,
including four of five at the Rose Garden.
The Blazers have not played since Friday, when they notched a
109-99 victory over the Clippers. Zach Randolph scored 26
points and Travis Outlaw added 15 for Portland, which made
9-of-15 3-pointers.
This is the fourth stop on Houston's five-game road trip. The
Rockets got their first win Sunday with a 108-103 victory over
the Clippers in which Yao Ming collected 32 points and 10
rebounds and Rafer Alston added a season-high 26 and eight
assists.
Yao is averaging 35 points and 14.3 rebounds on the trip.