#PORatPHX Preview
PHOENIX - The banged-up Portland Trail Blazers seemed more relieved than anything after ending their longest losing streak of the season.
They're hoping to be closer to full strength as they look to snap another skid.
Nicolas Batum could return Friday night as Portland tries to avoid an eighth consecutive road loss to the playoff-hopeful Phoenix Suns.
The Blazers (45-25), already without Wesley Matthews for the rest of the season, were missing LaMarcus Aldridge (hand), Chris Kaman (shoulder) and Batum (back) when they fell to Golden State on Tuesday for their fifth straight defeat.
Aldridge returned the following night to score 19 points as Damian Lillard added 23 and 12 assists in a 92-89 win at Utah. Batum said he wanted to play but was denied by team doctors after experiencing tightness during warmups.
"We needed a win and there was satisfaction we found a way to win even after we didn't shoot the ball well for most of the game," coach Terry Stotts said. "For us, it was a gritty win and we did it a little unconventionally and I think it's satisfying."
Portland outscored Utah 37-24 in the fourth quarter, matching its point total from the first half.
"It came down to the last few minutes of the game and we haven't been great in that time frame, closing games the last month or so," Lillard said. "But with the losing streak, on the road, against a team that's been playing well, it's a big win in that way."
The Blazers have had their problems in Phoenix for a number of years, losing 17 of 19 regular-season games since 2005 and last winning there on Dec. 10, 2010.
INJURY REPORT
Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge (left index finger sprain), Nicolas Batum (low back pain) and Chris Kaman (right shoulder strain) are PROBABLE. Wesley Matthews (left acchilles tendon) is OUT.
Phoenix: Brandon Knight (left ankle sprain) is a GAME-TIME DECISION.
Participation Status Key:
- Probable – 75% chance that the player will play in the game
- Questionable – 50% chance that the player will play in the game
- Doubtful – 25% chance that the player will play in the game
- Out – Player will not play in the game
Projected Starters
SF
PF
C
SG
PG
Season Series
Previous Games
Remaining Games
Series Notes
- Portland and Phoenix have split the first two games thus far, with each team winning its respective home game. The Suns defeated Portland 118-113 on Jan. 21 in Phoenix, while the
- Trail Blazers beat the Suns 108-87 on Feb. 5 at the Moda Center.
- Phoenix has won the season series over Portland three consecutive times dating back to the 2011-12 season.
- In Portland’s win over Phoenix on Feb. 5, Nicolas Batum scored a game-high 20 points (6-13 FG, 6-6 FT). LaMarcus Aldridge (19 pts, 13 reb) and Robin Lopez (11 pts, 12 reb) both had double-doubles.
- In two games against Phoenix this season, Nicolas Batum has averaged 23.5 points on 17-of-28 shooting (60.7%). Batum has connected on eight of his 14 three-point attempts.
- Nicolas Batum has scored 20+ points on three different occasions this season. Two of those games have been against the Suns (Season-high 27 pts at PHX on 1/12/15).
In Portland's Last Game
So even though they probably won’t look back fondly on the performance, the Trail Blazers will be ecstatic to leave Salt Lake City with a 92-89 victory versus the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena Wednesday night.
“Certainly that was a win that we needed to get,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. “I thought it was a really good team effort up and down the line. Allen Crabbe had a tremendous defensive game. LaMarcus (Aldridge) made a difference playing with a sore hand. I thought he imposed his will on the game early. Dorell Wright obviously came in and not only did he play well but he gave us some spacing and changed, kind of, the dynamics of the game. I just thought it was one of those games where we found a way.”
The Trail Blazers are now 45-25 on the season and 17-18 on the road. The victory breaks a five-game losing streak and increases Portland’s lead in the Northwest Division standings over the Oklahoma City Thunder to five games.
It was hard to imagine the Trail Blazers breaking their losing streak during the first quarter Wednesday night, as the Trail Blazers scored just 12 points, a season low for points in a quarter this season, while shooting 25 percent. The Jazz weren’t exactly lighting it up, but the Trail Blazers went scoreless for over six minutes late in the quarter, which helped Utah put together a 14-2 run to take a 16-9 lead with 2:46 to play in the first quarter. Portland wouldn’t have made it into double-digits in the first 12 minutes were it not for Dorell Wright’s three with 24 seconds to play in the quarter.
Portland would improve in the second quarter thanks to steady play from the bench. Wright, CJ McCollum, Joel Freeland and Steve Blake combined to score 15 points in the second quarter, which helped the Trail Blazers put together an 11-4 run that would tied the game at 27-27. So while it certainly wasn’t pretty, the Trail Blazers did manage to go into the halftime intermission trailing 39-37