Preview: Portland at Orlando

Portland continues a five-game road trip and looks to snap a two-game slide when it visits Orlando on Friday. The Trail Blazers opened the excursion with an impressive 16-point win at Toronto before losing a pair at Washington and Miami, which has dropped the club into fourth place in the Western Conference. Behind 34 points from LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland was primed to knock off the Heat before giving up the final six points in a 108-104 setback.The Magic have taken a nosedive with six consecutive defeats in a challenging slate, including a 107-102 setback at Dallas on Wednesday, when starters Tobias Harris and Dewayne Dedmon were not available. Portland will be the last of eight straight Orlando opponents who are firmly entrenched in the playoff picture or fighting for one of the final spots. Magic center Nikola Vucevic scored a season high-tying 34 points and grabbed 16 rebounds at Portland on Jan. 10, but his teammates shot 31.9 percent from the floor in a 103-92 loss to the Blazers.TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN Florida (Orlando)ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (44-22): Wednesday's loss in Miami represented a departure from the norm for a team that usually survives when it reaches triple digits. They were 24-4 when scoring at least 104 points and 30-4 when leading after three quarters before the Heat bucked both trends. Aldridge was fantastic, tallying 34 points and 12 rebounds, but his 3-of-7 effort from the line was part of a season-worst 12-of-21 showing for the Blazers, who lead the league in free-throw shooting (79.7). ABOUT THE MAGIC (21-49): As Orlando's season careens toward a third straight campaign with at least 50 losses, it takes solace in the play of some solid young players, notably Elfrid Payton. The rookie notched his first career triple-double with 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds at Dallas and has reached double figures in assists four times in the last nine games after doing so four times in the season's first four months. Payton has a double-double in each of his last three home games. BUZZER BEATERS1. Blazers SG Arron Afflalo has scored at least 14 points in four straight games - his longest such streak in over two months - while shooting 12-of-21 from 3-point range.2. Both Harris and Dedmon have ankle injuries and are considered day-to-day. 3. Aldridge has shot better than 50 percent from the floor in a season-high six straight games.PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 105, Magic 99