Hornets-Trail Blazers Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Mar 29 2012 2:49AM

The Portland Trail Blazers are getting desperate for some momentum, so possibly getting Raymond Felton back for another meeting with the New Orleans Hornets could be just what they need.

While Felton's return is uncertain, the Trail Blazers go for their first season sweep of the Hornets in nine years Thursday night when these last-place teams meet at the Rose Garden.

Portland (23-27) is at the bottom of the Northwest Division, trailing fourth-place Minnesota by one game while sitting 3 1/2 back of Utah and Denver - both tied with Houston for the final two playoff positions in the Western Conference.

The Trail Blazers continue to head in the wrong direction, having dropped 11 of 16 while surrendering an average of 102.3 points. They're 3-4 under interim coach Kaleb Canales, who replaced the fired Nate McMillan earlier this month.

Portland fell again Tuesday, losing 109-95 to Oklahoma City as Felton was away to be with his mother while she underwent a heart procedure.

It's unclear if Felton will return Thursday, but the team is hoping he's back - and for good reason.

The guard, who has a team-high 6.1 assists per game, is averaging 16.0 points over his past six contests, posting a season-high 24 in a 90-87 win over Golden State on Sunday to open this three-game homestand.

That was a relatively rare win during a rough stretch at home. The Blazers are 5-8 there since an outstanding 11-1 start, during which they averaged 105.8 points.

Facing the Hornets (13-37) figures to help since Portland has won all three meetings this season, including an 86-74 home victory March 5, as Felton dished out 10 assists with only one turnover. The Blazers last swept a season series from New Orleans in 2002-03, when the clubs met only twice because the Hornets were in the Eastern Conference.

J.J. Hickson will try to build on his best performance in a Blazers uniform. The big man scored a season-high 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting against the Thunder after totaling 18 in his first two games with Portland, which acquired him off waivers from Sacramento last week.

Hickson is averaging 5.4 points and 4.9 rebounds on the season after getting career highs of 13.8 and 8.7, respectively, in 2010-11 with Cleveland.

"He's a guy that's gonna set the screen and he's gonna roll hard. As a point guard those are two things you want," guard Jonny Flynn told the team's official website. "Somebody that's gonna stop somebody, hit somebody on the screen and who is gonna dive to the basket."

The Hornets remain last in the West, but they've won three of four on the road after beating Golden State 102-87 on Wednesday.

New Orleans played without Chris Kaman (illness) and fellow big man Gustavo Ayon (personal), while Trevor Ariza (sore right ankle) also sat out. Emeka Okafor and Eric Gordon remain out, but three players stepped up with at least 20 points each against the Warriors.

Jarrett Jack had 20, along with some advice for his teammates as the Hornets play out the string.

"You still have a job to do," Jack said. "Don't sell yourself short. Don't sell the team, the city or the fans short. They come out each and every game. Go out and play hard and don't do yourself a disservice."

Jack was held to a season-low three points while making 1 of 6 field goals at Portland earlier this month.

Aldridge leads Blazers to 99-93 win over Hornets

By ANNE M. PETERSON
Posted Mar 30 2012 1:57AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The grind of the season is wearing on LaMarcus Aldridge, although not enough to keep him off the court.

Aldridge had an MRI on his sore right hip hours before he had 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the Trail Blazers' 99-93 victory over the short-handed New Orleans Hornets on Thursday night.

"It's something that has come with the short season and playing hard and getting knocked down out there," Portland's All-Star forward said. "I'm just playing through it."

The MRI did not reveal any damage, and Aldridge suspects he just needs rest for it to feel better. The Blazers, meanwhile, are still hoping to make the playoffs even though the odds are against them.

"We've just got to do this every night," Aldridge said. "I feel like some nights we have it. Other nights, we don't."

Wesley Matthews added 18 points and Luke Babbitt had a career-high 16 points, including four 3-pointers, for Portland, 24-27 overall and 4-4 since the dismissal of head coach Nate McMillan.

Marco Belinelli had 27 points and Carl Landry had 24 for the Hornets (13-38), who sit in last place in the Western Conference. New Orleans had just eight players available for the game.

Landry's dunk with 4:09 left tied it at 89, Aldridge's fadeaway jumper put Portland back in front, and Raymond Felton and Nicolas Batum hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 97-90 with 58.9 seconds left.

"My guys fought and that's all you can ask. We've got eight guys going up against a talented team and it goes down to the wire, there's not much you can say about your team," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "We had a chance to win and just didn't pull it out when we needed it."

New Orleans was coming off a 102-87 victory at Golden State the previous night.

Former Blazers guard Jarrett Jack was a late scratch with a sprained right ankle. He joined center Chris Kaman, out with the flu, forward Trevor Ariza, who has miss three games with a sore right ankle, backup power forward Gustavo Ayon, away from the team for the birth of a child, and Emeka Okafor, who has a sore left knee.

The Blazers were without reserve guard Nolan Smith, who has a left ear infection. But Portland saw the return of starting guard Raymond Felton, who missed a game to be with his mother for a heart procedure.

The game came amid a report earlier Thursday that Blazers owner Paul Allen had entertained offers for the team. Allen posted on Twitter that the report was "absolutely false." A spokesman for the Microsoft co-founder reiterated Allen's rebuttal of the report, which appeared on a blog for the Comcast SportsNet Northwest web site.

Rumors have swirled since the start of the season that Allen is positioning the team for sale. The Blazers are operating under an interim general manager and interim coach Caleb Canales, fueling speculation about the team's future.

The Hornets took a 21-17 lead in the first quarter on Greivis Vasquez's running jumper, but Babbitt hit a 3-pointer to tie it for Portland at 23. Babbitt made another 3 to put the Blazers in front 28-27 at the end of the quarter.

New Orleans went on a 13-2 run in the second quarter to take a 42-35 lead, and the Hornets led 54-51 at the break.

Batum's 3-pointer tied it a 61-all, and Felton's layup midway through the third quarter put Portland in front. The Blazers finished the quarter on a 9-0 run to go up 76-70 and it looked as though New Orleans was fading.

Babbitt's 3-pointer extended Portland's lead to 81-70. But the Hornets came back with an 11-2 run, capped by Landry's layup to get within 83-81 with 6:19 left.

After J.J. Hickson's dunk for Portland, Belinelli made a 3-pointer. Hickson's layup kept Portland ahead, but Belinelli made another 3 to tie it at 87 with 4:51 to go.

Babbitt, in his second year, didn't want to speculate whether his performance had earned him more playing time. He was averaging about 6.5 minutes a game before playing nearly 17 on Thursday night.

"I'm just worried about trying to play the best I can every minute I get out there," he said.

The Blazers have won four straight against the Hornets.

NOTES: Former Oregon running back LaMichael James attended the game. James, a former Heisman candidate, decided to skip his senior season and make himself eligible for the upcoming NFL draft. ... The Hornets visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday before wrapping up their road trip at Phoenix on Sunday. ... Portland plays the second of a back-to-back on Friday night against the Clippers. ... Blazers guard Raymond Felton finished with 12 points and 10 assists. ... Aldridge has 12 double-doubles this season. .

Notebook: Blazers 99, Hornets 93

Posted Friday March 30, 2012 1:32AM

By Kerry Eggers, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: LaMarcus Aldridge collected 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists and the Trail Blazers used a late 10-1 surge to beat the Hornets 99-93 Thursday night at the Rose Garden.

Wesley Matthews added 18 points and Luke Babbitt and J.J. Hickson came off the bench for major contributions for Portland (24-27).

Babbitt scored a career-high 16 points and Hickson contributed 12 points and six rebounds in his fourth game as a Blazer.

Marco Belinelli scored a season-high 27 points and Carl Landry had 24 points and seven boards for New Orleans (13-38), which was playing the second of back-to-back games.

QUOTABLE: "It's an NBA basketball game. There's no concern in terms of who we're playing. We're trying to control what we can control. Coach Monty (Williams) has those guys ready to play every single night -- hard, together."
-- Portland coach Kaleb Canales on the shorthanded Hornets.

THE STAT: Portland's bench outscored its New Orleans counterparts 30-8.

TURNING POINT: The score was tied 89-89 with three minutes left when Aldridge scored on a 12-foot turnaround jumper to kick off a 10-1 spurt for a 99-90 Blazer lead.

HOT: Belinelli drained 7 of 11 3-point attempts, matching his career high for makes.

NOT: Portland's Jamal Crawford was 0 for 6 from the field, making him 9 for 55 (.164) over the past six games.

QUOTABLE II: "You look at the guys' effort, the way we fought, the way we hung in there all night. You have eight guys going against a talented team and it goes down to the wire, there's not much more you can say about your team."
-- Williams, who had only eight players dressed due to a rash of injuries.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Ex-Oregon tailback LaMichael James was in the house.

GOOD MOVE: Nicolas Batum blocked a driving layup by Xavier Henry on one end, then raced to the other, converting a three-point play to key a 9-0 Blazer run in the third quarter.

BAD MOVE: New Orleans' Al-Farouq Aminu missed two dunks.

QUOTABLE III: "Every time we have a shooting contest during practice, in groups of three, we're all just playing for second place. You know he's going to win. We're used to it."
-- Batum on Babbitt, who knocked down four straight 3-pointers and scored 16 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

NOTABLE: The Hornets were without four starters ? center Chris Kaman (virus), Emeka Okafor (knee), Trevor Ariza (ankle) and Jarrett Jack (ankle). A fifth starter -- Eric Gordon, out for all but two games this season with a knee injury -- is on New Orleans' four-game road trip but did not suit up.

UP NEXT: For the Blazers, at L.A. Clippers Friday, Minnesota Sunday, Utah Monday. For the Hornets, at L.A. Lakers Saturday, at Phoenix Sunday, Denver Wednesday.

• Hornets: Gordon
• Trail Blazers: Williams, Williams

• Hornets: --
• Trail Blazers: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #45 Brian Forte, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 20499
• Duration: 2:07