As New Orleans basks in the unprecedented glow of the Saints being Superbowl-bound, the Hornets are some 2000 miles Northwest and about to do battle with the Portland Trail Blazers. Game tips at 9 p.m. Central.

The Blazers are 27-18 overall, but just 6-5 in January. They’re 16-7 at home this season and coming off an East-coast road trip that saw them go 2-2. They edged the Pistons on Saturday without leading scorer Brandon Roy; Martell Webster and LaMarcus Aldridge picking up the slack by scoring a combined 49 points. Point guard Andre Miller has been on a tear, averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 assists since the new year.

Portland has had some much-publicized injury woes this season. They may get Nicolas Batum back tonight, but according to The Oregonian they’ll still be without Brandon Roy (right hamstring), centers Greg Oden (left knee) and Joel Przybilla (right knee) and forward Travis Outlaw (left foot), while Jerryd Bayless (left ankle) will be a game-time decision.

The Hornets are coming off a hard-fought overtime loss to the Nuggets in Denver on Saturday. David West sat that one out with an ankle sprain he suffered Friday in Minnesota, and he’s listed as questionable for tonight’s game.

This will be the second meeting of the season between these teams. They last met back on November 13th in New Orleans, which was Jeff Bower’s first game as head coach of the Hornets. The Blazers won, 86-78, as the Hornets lost Chris Paul to an ankle injury in the third quarter.

Numbers:

Pace: Blazers 89.8 (30th), Hornets 94.1 (21st)
Offensive Efficiency: Blazers 107.9 (6th), Hornets 104.4 (15th)
Defensive Efficiency: Blazers 103.8 (15th), Hornets 105.7 (19th)

Linkage:

• Earlier on the blog: Measuring How the Hornets Create and Finish Shots
• Rival bloggers: Blaze of Love | Blazer’s Edge | Bust a Bucket | Portland Roundball Society (THN)

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

UPDATE:

Breaking News: Hornets trade Devin Brown to Bulls for Aaron Gray.