Lillard and Portland take on Harden and the Rockets

Houston Rockets (42-24, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (30-38, 10th in the Western Conference)

Lake Buena Vista, Florida; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: A pair of the NBA's best scorers, Damian Lillard and James Harden, meet when Portland and Houston face off. Lillard is fifth in the NBA averaging 28.9 points per game and Harden leads the league averaging 34.4 points per game.

The Trail Blazers are 17-26 in conference play. Portland is 8-23 against opponents with a winning record.

The Rockets are 26-17 against Western Conference opponents. Houston averages 14.5 turnovers per game and is 24-12 when winning the turnover battle.

The Trail Blazers won the last meeting between these two teams 125-112 on Jan. 29. Lillard scored 36 points to help lead Portland to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lillard leads the Trail Blazers with 8.0 assists, and scores 28.9 points per game. CJ McCollum is averaging 27 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49.4% over the last 10 games for Portland.

Harden leads the Rockets averaging 34.4 points and has added 6.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. Robert Covington is averaging 8.6 rebounds and 13 points per game over the last 10 games for Houston.

LAST 10 GAMES: Trail Blazers: 4-6, averaging 119.1 points, 42.7 rebounds, 22.9 assists, 7.7 steals and six blocks per game while shooting 49.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.2 points on 46.2% shooting.

Rockets: 6-4, averaging 119.7 points, 41.2 rebounds, 21.8 assists, 10.1 steals and six blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.9 points on 46.4% shooting.

INJURIES: Trail Blazers: Jaylen Adams: day to day (back).

Rockets: Bruno Caboclo: out (ankle), Eric Gordon: out (ankle).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by , and data from ,.