Trail Blazers at Suns
The Western Conference is full of teams with grand plans for the postseason, and the Phoenix Suns are quietly pushing their way into that group. The Suns will try to make another statement when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Phoenix has won 13 of its last 17 and has taken the first three of its eight-game homestand, though the next five are all against teams with winning records.
The Trail Blazers narrowly avoided a fourth straight loss with a 98-94 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday but lost forward LaMarcus Aldridge to a jammed thumb in the second quarter of that contest. X-rays came back negative but Aldridge reportedly will not travel with the team to Phoenix, leaving Portland to choose between a bigger lineup with Meyers Leonard or Thomas Robinson and a smaller group with Dorell Wright. “(Aldridge) does a lot for us,” guard Will Barton told the Oregonian. “You can never replace that one person. But I feel like we’ve got the personnel and the guys to step up and get the job done.”
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (31-11): Robinson got the opportunity down the stretch against a bigger Sacramento Kings team on Monday but it was Damian Lillard as usual providing the heroics. The clutch guard is struggling with his outside shot of late, so instead of pulling up for a jumper with a one-point lead and 40 seconds left, Lillard used Robinson’s screen to split a pair of defenders and drove for an emphatic dunk. “I’ll still raise up and shoot the three if I need to, but (Monday), I took what they gave me,” Lillard told reporters. “When I split, the defense was kind of off balance, I guess, and I was able to get to the rim.”
ABOUT THE SUNS (25-18): Whomever the Trail Blazers decide on to replace Aldridge will need to do some chasing on the perimeter against Phoenix forward Markieff Morris, who is averaging 21 points on 58.7 percent shooting in the last three games. “To be a power forward in this league you have to be a little nasty, able to hit people,” coach Jeff Hornacek told Arizona Sports. “I think Markieff is doing a great job of that. He’s turning into a great player and adding leadership to the mix; he’s having a great year.” Morris had 15 points and was one of five in double figures during a 115-100 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Suns G Goran Dragic is 29-of-47 from the field in the last three games.
2. Portland G Allen Crabbe (knee) has missed the last six games and remains day-to-day.
3. Phoenix took three of the four meetings last season, winning by an average of 14.3 points and suffering a one-point loss on the road.