WATCH Trail Blazers vs. Rockets Live Stream Online, NBA 2014 Week 8: Listen To Free Monday Night Basketball From Houston, Power Rankings

It's finally that time of year - basketball season!

The Portland Trail Blazers battle it out on the court against the Houston Rockets in Week 8 of the 2014 regular season on Monay, December 22 at 8:00 p.m. EST at the Toyota Center in Texas. Read on to see where fans can watch and listen to a live stream of the Monday night basketball game online and catch up-to-date feeds and coverage on highlight plays and scores.

Following the first few weeks of the NBA regular season, the Trail Blazers snag the impressive No. 3 spot in Josh Martin's official NBA power ranking for Bleacher Report with a 22-6 winning record:

"The Portland Trail Blazers are being put to the test now that Robin Lopez is slated to miss the next six to seven weeks with a broken hand... Thomas Robinson did a bang-up job in Lopez's stead, piling up 15 points and 16 rebounds against the Bucks. Chris Kaman, Joel Freeland and Meyers Leonard will get plenty of run while Lopez is out as well. The Blazers will need all they can squeeze out of those guys while Lopez is out, lest they lose ground in the race to the top of the Western Conference... This stretch could also prove crucial to Portland's thinking long term. Lopez will be a free agent come July, and he has done plenty during his time in Oregon to merit a significant raise. The Blazers will have more than enough financial flexibility to bring him back, though they'll also have to leave room in their budget to reward LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews... If the Blazers find a workable solution at center sans Lopez, they may be able to clear up what would otherwise be a cap crunch for general manager Neil Olshey. "

Meanwhile, the Rockets currently hold the equally awesome No. 6 spot (out of 30 total teams) with 19 wins and only seven losses. According to Martin:

"The Houston Rockets must be pleased to know that the Pelicans probably won't be participating in the playoffs come spring... New Orleans did a number on the Rockets in Houston on Thursday, holding the home team to 38.4 percent shooting from the field, including an abysmal 6-of-25 from three. The Rockets' 99-90 loss also saw Omer Asik frustrate Dwight Howard into a relatively rough shooting night, and the long arms of Asik and Anthony Davis hound James Harden into an 8-of-23 evening... Houston will find out soon enough if this was merely the result of a bad matchup or the start of something more troubling to come. The Rockets will play their next five games against the Hawks, Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs and Wizards... At the very least, it's a good thing for Houston that Asik and Davis don't play for any of those teams."

The game will be broadcasted live on local channels KGW and CSNH, but fans can also listen in on the radio at WOAI, KKTX, 940 WINZ, ESPN 92.9, KOGT, and KSIX.

For complete NBA standings for the regular 2014-2015 regular season, check out NBA.com.

For fans who want to try out a free live stream (which may mean downloading a torrent), click here. Or try this other option...

For a one-time fee, fans can access a NBA All-Access Member pass.

ESPN, ESPN Scoreboard, SBNation, and NBA TV are both good sources for up-to-date game coverage and feeds.

For more team radio station affiliates: Trail Blazers and Rockets.  

And official NBA team websites: Trail Blazers and Rockets. 

Enjoy the basketball game!