*10* WESTERN CONFERENCE TOTAL OF THE MONTH on UNDER Rockets/Blazers.

The Portland Trailblazers are one of the league's hottest teams, coming into tonight's game against Houston as winners of six straight, and 11 of their last 12. The Rockets have lost four of their last five, and they play their fifth straight road game in Portland tonight. My money is on the under with an inflated total.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - The Blazers have won four of the last five meetings in this series, and they've covered the spread in all five of those contests. The Rockets scored more than 100 points in regulation in just one of those five games.

2. Home Cookin' - The Blazers boast a home record of 19-11, and they've covered the spread in seven of their last 10 home games. The Rockets have lost five of their last seven road games, one of those a 116-103 loss at Portland.

3. X-Factor - Both teams have been trending over lately, and because of that the total in tonight's game is higher than it was in any of the previous 10 meetings.

Selection: This is a play on the Rockets@Blazers to go UNDER the total (10*)