Trail Blazers at Warriors
THE STORY: Locked into the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers get to kick back on Wednesday and watch the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers fight it out for the No. 2 seed. But while the Blazers wait to find out who they are going to face in the playoffs, they might as well play one last regular season game. For the Golden State Warriors, Wednesday marks the end of another disappointing season. Coach Keith Smart has been on the hot seat ever since a new ownership group took over during the season and summer changes are expected to filter through the front office, the coaching staff and down to the roster. This year’s edition of the Warriors will be looking to go out in style when it hosts the Blazers on Wednesday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CSNW, CSBA+
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (35-46): One of the fun things about watching Golden State this season has been the reckless abandon with which Monta Ellis makes his way into the lane. That finally caught up with him on Sunday, when Ellis took a hard foul and hit the floor in the final minutes. He sat out Monday’s 134-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets and will miss Wednesday’s game as well. Stephen Curry and Dorell Wright took over the scoring burden with 27 points apiece at Denver. One of the big decisions the Warriors will have to make eventually is whether or not the team can thrive with the duo of Curry and Ellis in the backcourt. Whatever the salary cap happens to be once the collective bargaining agreement is settled will help determine the future of players like Ellis and Andris Biedrins.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (48-33): Most of the last two weeks have been spent with Portland, the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Hornets jockeying for position while trying to be the team that does not end up having to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. An injury to Andrew Bynum on Tuesday made the Lakers slightly less intimidating, though the Blazers would probably still rather avoid Kobe Bryant and company. Portland did their part to earn the No. 6 spot on Tuesday, claiming a 102-89 victory over the Grizzlies. LaMarcus Aldridge collected 22 points and 11 rebounds and Nicolas Batum scored 16 for Portland. The Trail Blazers triumph over Memphis marked their third straight win.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Wright went 4 of 11 from 3-point range on Monday and is just 10 of 42 (24 percent) from beyond the arc in five games this month. Aldridge has recorded four double-doubles in a row after posting one in the previous nine contests.
KEY STATISTIC: The Blazers went 21 of 23 from the line on Tuesday and rank third in the NBA in free throw percentage at 80.4. The Warriors rank 17th, connecting at a 76.2 percent clip.
SEASON SERIES: The Blazers took the first meeting at home on Dec. 18, 96-95, but have dropped the last two. The Warriors most recently threw a little wrench into the playoff picture when they crushed Portland, 108-87, at the Rose Garden on Apr. 5. Ellis led the way with 30 points and David Lee got 29 points and 20 rebounds.
KEY INJURIES: PORTLAND: C Greg Oden (knee); G Elliot Williams (knee). GOLDEN STATE: G Stephen Curry (ankle); G Monta Ellis (concussion); C Andris Biedrins (ankle); G Acie Law (wrist).
LAST WORD: The Blazers signed 7-0 center Earl Barron for the rest of the season. While the seldom-used player does not figure to get much time when the rotation shortens during the playoffs, he could be valuable in helping Aldridge and company prepare for the interior size of Los Angeles or Dallas.