Game On: Blazers @ Hornets


Chris Paul vs. LaMarcus AldridgeThe Hornets continue their season-long five-game home stand tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers, game tipping at 7 Central.

The Blazers are 43-29 on the season, 19-16 on the road and have won six of their last seven. They’re in the 8-spot out West, with a nice lead over 9th-place Memphis, but you can bet they’re eager to catch the 7th-place Spurs and avoid the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The Blazers are coming off a 101-89 win over the Mavericks in Portland on Thursday. Andre Miller had 19 points and 10 assists against Dallas, as the Blazers gave up just 14 points in the fourth quarter. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge continue to carry most of the scoring load for Portland, averaging about 39ppg between them.

The Hornets are 34-39 on the season and on the verge of being officially eliminated from the playoff race (more details on that here). They lost to the visiting Cavaliers on Wednesday, giving up 38 points to LeBron James.

This will be the third and final meeting of the season between the Hornets and Blazers. The series is currently split at 1-1, with each team stealing a game on the road. Most recently, the Hornets won in Portland back in January, thanks to a clutch jumper by Chris Paul and 19 points from Marcus Thornton in his first NBA start.

The Blazers are still without big men Oden and Przybilla. Peja Stojakovic seems to be no closer to returning for the Hornets, and Sean Marks is done for the season.

Numbers:

Pace: Blazers 90.2 (30th), Hornets 94.9 (15th)
Offensive Efficiency: Blazers 107.9 (7th), Hornets 104.6 (16th)
Defensive Efficiency: Blazers 103.8 (12th), Hornets 106.8 (21st)

Linkage:

(Many thanks to Dariusz for today’s banner featuring Marcus Thornton. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz’s designs in our Wallpapers vault.)


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