Magic at Trail Blazers
Portland’s Damian Lillard promises to be in the starting lineup when the Trail Blazers host the Orlando Magic on Saturday. The star point guard is experiencing lower back pain after colliding with Miami’s Dwyane Wade on Thursday and has been receiving treatment and expects to play in his 202nd consecutive game with Portland. “When it locked up to begin with, I tried to lay there for a second because it was numb a little bit,” Lillard told reporters. “It was painful.”
The Trail Blazers have won 11 of their last 13 games and are closing up a seven-game homestand in which they are 5-1 entering the contest with Orlando. The Magic fell 101-84 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday for their fifth straight loss and 12th in 16 games. Orlando has scored 90 or fewer points in four of the losses during its five-game skid.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), CSN Northwest (Trail Blazers)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (13-26): Orlando is playing the third contest of a four-game road trip, and opening it with losses to the Denver Nuggets and Lakers doesn’t prompt visions of a win in Portland. The Magic shot 39.5 percent, committed 16 turnovers and were outrebounded 60-36 while losing to Los Angeles. Forward Tobias Harris is 11-of-29 shooting on the road trip but has continued his streak of scoring in double figures in all 37 games in which he has played.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (28-8): Shooting guard Wesley Matthews is playing through a hyperextended knee and had 18 points and five assists in the 99-83 victory over the Heat. “It’s part of our job,” Matthews told reporters about playing with injuries. “My mentality, if I can walk, I’m going to play. That’s what I expect out of myself and out of my team.” Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 12 rebounds against Miami and has topped 20 points in each of his last nine games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Portland has won four of its past five home games against the Magic.
2. Orlando C Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 11 rebounds versus the Lakers for his third straight double-double.
3. Aldridge is averaging 27 points over his last four outings against Orlando.