Portland @ Houston Game Overview

The Rockets continue their three-game homestand on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers in NBA Cup West Group C play, seeking to further burnish their early-season reputation as one of the top offenses in the NBA. The offseason addition of Kevin Durant positioned Houston to take a step forward on offense, but the loss of Fred VanVleet to a season-ending knee injury offered cause for concern.

"We did have to go about it a different way with the injury to Fred and the new additions that we have," said Houston coach Ime Udoka, whose Rockets are averaging 124 points, the highest output through 10 games in franchise history. "There'll be some positives and negatives due to that but, offensively, we thought we'd take a step this year.

"When you add a player the caliber of Kevin, that's going to do it a little bit alone there. With him being unselfish and making these plays for everybody else has improved our scoring and improved our shot quality, and the percentages have gone up."

Central to the improved shooting has been the emergence of second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who poured in a season-high 21 points on 5-of-8 3-point shooting off the bench against the Wizards. Sheppard has scored in double figures in four straight games, twice the total of his previous six games, and has averaged 16.3 points on 65.8% shooting in that span.

"We're getting up a lot of shots, getting up a lot of 3s," Sheppard said. "We're a team that can really shoot and can pass, so when we don't turn it over, it's excellent."

Deni Avdija enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Trail Blazers last year, one that set the table for a fast start this season and a scoring average (26.1 points per game) that ranks 14th in the NBA.

Avdija poured in 32 points in a 125-117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, marking his fifth consecutive game with at least 25 points. That's the franchise's longest streak since Damian Lillard produced a 19-game run during the 2022-23 season.

But Avdija didn't lead Portland in scoring against the Pelicans. That distinction went to Shaedon Sharpe, who tallied a season-high 35 points and finished 11 for 11 inside the arc for the most 2-pointers made without a miss by a Trail Blazer since Calvin Natt went 13 for 13 on March 18, 1982.

While Avdija might not be widely known among casual NBA fans, those who closely follow the league are aware of his exploits. Sharpe provides the Blazers a second volume scorer capable of elevating Portland in the Western Conference standings earlier than expected.

That duo combined for 58 points in a 3-point road loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday.

"I think Shaedon is one of the keys for us to be a successful team," said Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter. "He can create shots, he can get to the rim, he can pull up. He can score from midrange, rim (and make) 3s.

"I remember maybe two years ago when I coached against him, his ability to get to the rim and create shots, exactly what I'm seeing now. His summer was very good. The way he worked. Every day, he brought it. Very professional, just trying to get better every day."

--Field Level Media