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Blazers visit slumping Bobcats

Mar 11, 2011 - 4:08 PM (Sports Network) - Surprisingly, the Charlotte Bobcats are still in the hunt for a playoff spot despite a six-game losing streak they hope to snap tonight versus former employee Gerald Wallace and the Portland Trail Blazers in the finale of a three-game homestand at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Wallace was dealt to Portland before the trade deadline and was a member of the Bobcats since the 2004-05 campaign. Wallace, the last original member of the Bobcats and the franchise's only All-Star, will make his first appearance as the guest in Charlotte.

Charlotte suffered its sixth consecutive defeat at the hands of the surging Chicago Bulls in a 101-84 setback on Wednesday. Gerald Henderson had 20 points, Dante Cunningham posted 15 and Kwame Brown finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Bobcats, who are one game behind Indiana for the Easts final postseason berth.

"We played hard, but we went cold in the fourth quarter," Henderson said.

Stephen Jackson missed his third straight game with a hamstring problem and is probable for Friday's game. Matt Carroll (ankle) is questionable and Joel Przybilla is expected to miss the game because of a sore right knee.

The Bobcats are 16-16 at home this season and will begin a four-game road trip against Toronto, Houston, Oklahoma City and San Antonio after tonights game.

Portland will continue a four-game road trip this evening and is coming off a big 105-96 win in Miami on Tuesday.

LaMarcus Aldridge and Wallace scored 26 and 22 points, respectively, for the Blazers, who got 14 points apiece from Andre Miller and Brandon Roy.

"I am very happy with our guys," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "Miami is a good team, and we knew they would come out with a sense of urgency, but it was a challenge for us."

The Blazers are 16-17 away from Rip City in 2010-11 and will also visit Atlanta on the current road trip. They have won seven in a row as the visitor and are sixth in the Western Conference standings.

Portland recently beat Charlotte, 93-69, on March 5 at the Rose Garden, getting 26 points from Aldridge. The Blazers have won four in a row in the series and four of the six contests as the visitor.