Trail Blazers at Bobcats
LaMarcus Aldridge will be traveling with the Portland Trail Blazers when they begin a five-game road trip Saturday at Charlotte. Aldridge, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, has missed four straight games with a bruised lower back and there is no timetable for his return. Portland has gone 3-1 without its leader while scoring at least 111 points in each contest, the most recent a 116-103 win over Washington on Thursday.
The Bobcats have dropped two straight since a four-game winning streak and are clinging to seventh place in the Eastern Conference by a game over Atlanta. They dropped a 104-99 decision in Brooklyn on Wednesday, when Charlotte's starters combined to make just six free throws and go 3-of-13 from 3-point distance. Wesley Matthews scored 25 points and Damian Lillard had 24 in Portland's 134-104 rout of Charlotte at home Jan. 2, the Blazers' fourth straight win in the series.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), SportSouth (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE BLAZERS (45-24): As in that game against the Bobcats earlier this year in which Aldridge had just 10 points, Matthews and Lillard have been picking up the slack on the offensive end in Aldridge's absence. They combined for 51 points in the win over the Wizards and 46 points in a victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday. Lillard has scored at least 20 point in a season-high seven straight games while Matthews has hit 9-of-16 3-pointers in his last two contests.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (33-36): A lot of teams rely on their star player to carry them to the finish line but it is quite notable with Charlotte, which sees a significant fluctuation in its success depending on what center Al Jefferson is able to produce. He has been held to 18 points or fewer in each of the Bobcats' last three losses while scoring at least 20 in their last six wins. Overall, Jefferson - who was held to 19 points and five rebounds in the loss at Portland in January - averages 25.2 points on 52.8 percent shooting in wins against 17.8 points and 47.6 percent shooting in losses.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Charlotte is 12-16 against Western Conference foes.
2. Portland is 21-4 against the East.
3. Bobcats G Gary Neal has made 20-of-38 3-pointers and 30-of-31 free throws since joining the team in a trade with Milwaukee last month.