By Devan Cook

Portland's road trip has had a false start- with losses in Detroit and Indiana. However, the team was missing their all-star Brandon Roy, who will be rejoining the team Monday when they match up against the Houston Rockets.

This is the 3rd match-up against Houston this season, the Rockets took both of the previous games.

The Rockets and the Trail Blazers are currently in battle for the last spot in the Western Conference playoffs. Houston, 30-20, are tied with Golden State for the final spot, Portland right behind them in 9th place with a 28-22 record.

Houston has won 10 of their past 11 games, including a blow out against Atlanta on Saturday. Portland, who has struggled recently, has tough match-up on their hands, but hopefully Roy's return will give them back their edge, and they can capture their first victory on this current road trip.

Roy will have to toughen up on defense in order to contain Tracy McGrady; he had 15 points and 8 assists Saturday, and is averaging 21 points this season.

But the even bigger task at hand rests on the shoulders of Joel Pryzbilla- Houston star center Yao Ming had 28 points and 9 rebounds against Atlanta, and will be looking to do the same on Monday unless Pryzbilla can shut him down.

This is a crucial game for Portland to get them back on track- they have lost 9 of their last 15 games. It's also important because Houston and Golden State are Portland's biggest competition for that final spot in the playoffs- so it's in their best interest to hand the Rockets a loss and close the 2-game gap that separates them.

The game airs locally on Comcast Sports Net at 5:30. Don't Miss A Minute!