• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Blazers aim to regain home court advantage

Feb 4, 2008 - 3:34 PM Denver (28-18) at Portland (27-19) 10:00 pm EST

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) - Even though they have won 19 of 24 games at home, the Portland Trail Blazers have struggled lately at the Rose Garden.

The Blazers try for their third win in their last five home games when they host the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

Portland went 17-3 in its first 20 home games to open the season, but have fallen on hard times lately. The Blazers opened a six-game homestand with an 89-79 loss to the Houston Rockets on January 25, edged the Atlanta Hawks, 94-93, on January 27 and lost 84-83 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

The New York Knicks almost handed Portland another loss, but Brandon Roy posted 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists - his first career triple-double - as the Blazers pulled away in overtime, 94-88.

Portland may find the going a bit easier against Denver, which owns one of the worst road marks in the Western Conference at 8-13. In fact, the Nuggets had dropped six straight road games before beating Memphis on Wednesday.

Denver won its second straight game on Saturday, holding the Charlotte Bobcats to 14 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 117-101 victory. Carmelo Anthony returned from a five-game absence due to ankle injury to pace the Nuggets with 25 points.