Nets at Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers look to win their fourth consecutive game when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. The Trail Blazers are the second-highest scoring team in the NBA and put up 84 points in the first half en route to a 130-113 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. Portland has scored over 100 points in each of its last six games and hopes for more offensive fireworks as it aims to beat the Nets for the third straight time.
Brooklyn has lost two games in a row following its 107-99 setback to the Golden State Warriors. The Nets are in danger of falling below the .500 mark and hope to conclude their three-game Western road swing with a much-needed victory against a Trail Blazers team that scored 124 points in their last meeting on Feb. 26. "We've got to figure out how to be a really good team all the time," point guard Deron Williams told reporters. "We're still figuring things out and I don't think there's any reason to panic."
TV: 10 p.m ET, NBATV, CSN Northwest (Portland), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE NETS (4-4): Jarrett Jack came off the bench to score a season-high 23 points, on 10-of-10 shooting against his former team in the loss to the Warriors. Williams, who is the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, scored 18 points and dished out five assists versus Golden State. Brooklyn went just 3-of-16 from 3-point range on Thursday - with Alan Anderson missing all six of his attempts - and has shot just 31% from beyond the arc in its last three games.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (6-3): Point guard Damian Lillard led the way with 27 points as Portland shot 51.1 percent from the floor and drained 16 3-pointers in the win over the Nuggets. Small forward Nicolas Batum has missed the last two games with a knee injury and will likely sit out Saturday's contest as well as he hopes to return to the lineup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Portland leads the NBA with 47.2 rebounds per game, but has lost the battle of the boards in two of its last three outings.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Trail Blazers have beaten the Nets in four out of the last five meetings at the Moda Center.
2. Portland has won four straight home games.
3. Brooklyn shot a season-low 43.8 percent from the floor on Thursday.