Hawks at Trail Blazers
THE STORY: The Portland Trail Blazers suddenly are having trouble winning at home. They’ll have their hands full against the Atlanta Hawks, who will be trying to win a seventh straight in the series when the teams meet Saturday night at the Rose Garden. The Hawks have been on a roll on the road, where they have won five of their last six. Atlanta squeaked out a 92-89 win in the first of two meetings this season against Portland.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBA TV
ABOUT THE HAWKS (19-11): Josh Smith is picking up the slack with Al Horford sidelined. He propelled the Hawks from a 15-point deficit in a 101-99 win over Phoenix on Wednesday, posting a monster line of 30 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. "I just wanted to be a little aggressive," Smith said. "I know they were keying on Joe (Johnson) and we needed offense somewhere else.” Johnson is averaging 25.6 points in his last 10 meetings with the Blazers.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (16-15): The struggling Blazers are hoping that the return of All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge can turn their fortunes around. Aldridge, leading the team with 22.6 points per game, is questionable to play after missing two in a row with a sprained ankle. Portland has lost its past four at home, one shy of matching its longest home skid since 2006. The latest loss was a 74-71 setback to the Los Angeles Clippers in which the Blazers blew an 18-point lead in the third quarter Thursday.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. There have been whispers that Raymond Felton is in danger of losing his starting point guard gig with the Blazers. He went scoreless while missing all seven shots in 24 minutes against the Clippers.
2. Smith has recorded double-doubles his last four games vs. the Blazers.