Trail Blazers at Nets
The Brooklyn Nets won’t have to worry about defending Portland star
LaMarcus Aldridge when they host the Trail Blazers on Monday. Aldridge
will sit out the game with a thumb injury and teammates Nicolas Batum
(back) and Chris Kaman (thumb) also will miss the contest with minor
ailments.
The game is a rescheduled affair stemming from inclement weather that hit the Northeast and forced a postponement on Jan. 26. The contest is pivotal for the Nets, who had a season-best six-game winning streak wiped out by the Atlanta Hawks 131-99 on Saturday. Brooklyn sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets also in the mix for the final two playoff spots. The Trail Blazers are in possession of the fourth spot in the Western Conference and are 1 1/2 games behind third-place Memphis.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (50-26): Portland has won six of its past seven games as it fights for playoff positioning in the tightly packed West. The Trail Blazers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 99-90 on Saturday to reach 50 victories. “I’m really proud in back-to-back games to win our division and have back-to-back 50-win seasons,” Portland coach Terry Stotts told reporters. “It’s something to be proud of, which we are, but we’re not done. We’ve got to continue to get better and prepare for the playoffs.”
ABOUT THE NETS (35-41): The loss to Atlanta was just Brooklyn’s third in 13 games but it certainly was an ugly defeat. The Nets committed 21 turnovers, allowed 17 3-pointers and gave up 108 points before the start of the fourth quarter as the Hawks poured it on. “It was a good whipping,” coach Lionel Hollins told reporters. “Nothing else I can say about it. There are no questions that I can answer except (Atlanta) came out and played great.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Portland has won the past three meetings, including a 97-87 win over the Nets on Nov. 15.
2. Trail Blazers PG Damian Lillard had 28 points and 10 assists in the November meeting.
3. Brooklyn SG Alan Anderson (ankle) will miss his second straight game.