Trail Blazers at Hornets
THE STORY: Winning on the road hasn’t been easy for the Portland Trail Blazers. Just winning anywhere has been an issue for the New Orleans Hornets. New Orleans has lost seven consecutive games heading into the tilt against a Portland squad that is just 3-9 on the road. The Hornets have lost 22 of 24 games and are just 2-13 at home. Portland has lost three of its last four games as it begins a two-game road trip to New Orleans and Dallas.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet (Portland), Cox Sports (New Orleans)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (14-12): Forward LaMarcus Aldridge was selected to his first All-Star Game on Thursday. The 6-foot-11 Aldridge is having a superb season, averaging 23.3 points and 8.5 rebounds. He is playing nearly 37 minutes per game and has scored in double figures in every game. Aldridge was snubbed last season and had set his sights on making sure there were no doubts this season. He averaged 27.7 points over a six-game span before scoring just 13 in Wednesday’s loss to the Houston Rockets.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (4-22): New Orleans nearly set a franchise-record for fewest points in a game in Wednesday’s 90-67 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The Hornets were ice cold most of the contest but scored nine points in the final 91 seconds. Marco Belinelli’s 3-pointer in the final second kept the squad from avoiding a dubious record. The franchise has twice totaled just 65 points in its history. Offense has been a problem all season with guard Eric Gordon having played in just two games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Portland won at New Orleans 84-77 on Jan. 16 with Aldridge scoring 22 points. Jarrett Jack had 21 for the Hornets.
2. Hornets center Chris Kaman has averaged 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in two games after being inactive for seven games while the team unsuccessfully tried to deal him.
3. Trail Blazers forward Gerald Wallace is averaging 8.1 points in 11 road games, opposed to a 17.8 average in 14 home contests.