Nuggets at Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers can extend their winning streak to a season-high four games, but they will have to do it the hard way against the visiting Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the team's leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, will sit out the contest after suffering a sprained left ankle near the end of Sunday's one-point home win over New Orleans. “Obviously that’s a lot of minutes, a lot of points and rebounds - and our best player,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "But we’ve done it before when other players have sat out.”
The Nuggets are also riding a three-game winning streak that includes victories over Memphis and San Antonio, two of the top teams in the Western Conference. Denver has its offense clicking, rolling up a season-high 122 points in Sunday's win at Sacramento and following it up two days later with a 112-106 victory over the Spurs. The Nuggets will need to be at the top of their game against the Blazers, having dropped the last five meetings in Portland.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), KGW (Portland)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (14-12): Danilo Gallinari has had his share of ups and downs this season, but he's in the midst of his highest-scoring four-game stretch of the season. Gallinari scored a season-high 28 points in the win over San Antonio and has averaged 21 points in his last four games. Gallinari struggled from long range in the game but he drilled a pair of late 3-pointers to repel a comeback by the Spurs. "With the team we have, we can have a different protagonist every game," Gallinari said. "Tonight it was me, maybe the next night it will be someone else."
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (11-12): Aldridge, who is averaging 21 points and eight boards, may not be the only key player missing Thursday. Wesley Matthews (hip) returned from a two-game absence against the Hornets but played only 3 1/2 minutes and backup Sasha Pavlovic (gluteal strain) is also ailing. Both players are listed as questionable. Center J.J. Hickson had a huge game against New Orleans with a season-high 24 points to go along with 16 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The home team has won the last 10 meetings in the series.
2. Aldridge had been on a roll with four double-doubles in seven games this month.
3. Denver will be playing its league-high 19th game away from home.