Raptors at Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are struggling through a tough stretch and will certainly face a challenge when they host the soaring Toronto Raptors on Saturday. Portland has lost four of its last six games and the last two in that stretch qualify as the team’s worst back-to-back showings of the campaign. Toronto began a five-game road trip on Friday by winning in Denver for the first time in 10-plus years and has won five of its last six outings.
The Raptors are a season-best four games above. 500 and have opened up a four-game lead over the Brooklyn Nets in the Atlantic Division. All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan returned after a two-game absence due to an ankle injury and scored 19 points. Portland has averaged just 84.5 points in consecutive defeats by an average of 16 points and was particularly dreadful in Tuesday’s 98-81 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge continues to excel and has posted double-doubles in nine of the last 10 games.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), CSN Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (25-21): Second-year forward Terrence Ross opened eyes with a 51-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 25 and then made just 7-of-22 shots over the ensuing two games. He was back on his game against the Nuggets, going 7-of-10 from the field while scoring 18 points. Ross has scored in double digits in five consecutive games after not having a streak longer than three prior to the best scoring stretch of his short career. The 6-6 Ross is averaging 10.3 points after posting a 6.4 average as a rookie.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (33-13): Portland’s last two performances have been woeful offensively, an oddity for one of the league’s most-explosive teams. The Trail Blazers shot a season-worst 33.7 percent in Sunday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors and checked in at just 34.5 percent against Memphis. “We’re in a rough patch right now,” guard Damian Lillard said after the loss to the Grizzlies. “We got off to a slow start. We’re not shooting the ball very well and we’ve got to defend better. We’ve played so well, we were due for a rough patch and a little bit of adversity.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Portland has won nine of the past 10 meetings, including a 118-110 overtime win in Toronto on Nov. 17.
2. Raptors F Patrick Patterson (broken nose) returned after a one-game absence and scored nine points in 24 minutes against Denver while sporting a mask.
3. Aldridge ranks second in the NBA with 22 games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, trailing only Minnesota’s Kevin Love (28).