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Trail Blazers-Bobcats Preview

Nov 14, 2009 - 6:02 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Portland (6-3) at Charlotte (3-5), 7:00 p.m. EDT

While the Portland Trail Blazers have regrouped after a slow start, the Charlotte Bobcats have taken a step back since opening their season on a positive note.

The visiting Trail Blazers look for a sixth consecutive victory while trying to hand the Bobcats a fourth straight loss Saturday night.

Portland (7-3) won 86-78 at New Orleans on Friday to improve to 3-0 on a five-game road trip that concludes Monday at Atlanta. The Trail Blazers have won five in a row since losing three of five to open the season.

The Trail Blazers started the trip with victories at Memphis and Minnesota, and they're in position for their first five-game road winning streak since Dec. 14-30, 2002. Overall, Portland is 4-1 on the road after finishing 20-21 away from home last season.

"Any time you win road games, it's huge," said guard Brandon Roy, who had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists against New Orleans.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points with 13 rebounds and Greg Oden pulled down 12 boards for the Blazers, who last won six in a row to close out last season.

Portland, averaging 99.6 points and giving up only 83.6 during its five-game winning streak, won Friday despite shooting 37.9 percent. The Blazers outrebounded the Hornets 60-40 and finished with a 22-3 advantage in second-chance points.

The 6-foot-11 Aldridge, who's averaging 16.5 points and 9.7 rebounds in his last four contests, once again provided a strong presence in the paint, especially on the offensive end where he made 10 of 19 shots.

"We needed some offense," coach Nate McMillan said. "His jump shot was on and he was able to get to the basket a couple of times. I would like to see him go to the basket more."

Aldridge is averaging 22.3 points and 9.3 boards in his last three games against Charlotte. He had 25 points and nine rebounds as the Blazers snapped a three-game losing streak to the Bobcats with an 88-74 home win Jan. 28.

Charlotte (3-5) lost 98-75 loss at Detroit on Friday for its third straight loss after winning three of its first five. Nazr Mohammed led the team with 13 points in 15 minutes off the bench in the latest woeful offensive performance for the Bobcats, who are last in the league with 83.5 points per game.

Gerald Wallace added 12 for Charlotte, which shot 4 for 15 from 3-point range and was outscored 29-12 in the third quarter.

"That's a bad loss," center Tyson Chandler said. "I'm very disappointed."

Wallace is averaging 13.9 points on the season and 20.5 on 51.1 percent shooting in his last six games versus Portland. He had 31 and 16 rebounds in the Bobcats' 102-97 home win over the Trail Blazers on Jan. 17.

The Bobcats, 3-1 at home, hope to have veteran guard Raja Bell back after he missed their last contest with a sore right calf. Bell, who missed the first three games with a wrist injury, is averaging 12.3 points in four contests this season.

Each team won on its home floor to split the two-game season series in 2008-09.