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Trail Blazers return home trying to right ship

Nov 6, 2008 - 11:16 AM Houston (3-1) at Portland (1-3), 10:30 p.m. EST

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- The start to the 2008-09 season hasn't gone quite according to plan for the Portland Trail Blazers - though four games don't make for much of a barometer.

With one win in four chances, the Trail Blazers are still trying to climb their way to respectability. They continue that climb on Thursday as they return home to host the Houston Rockets.

The Western Conference showdown will bring a conclusion to a brutal early season stretch for Portland, which opened the season against five consecutive playoff opponents from last year. A 1-3 start is certainly disappointing, but as losses go, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz isn't anything to be ashamed of.

They blew a 10-point lead in Wednesday's road meeting with Utah, eventually falling, 103-96. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points apiece but it wasn't enough to overcome a balanced Jazz attack that still isn't at full strength given the absence of injured point guard Deron Williams.

The Trail Blazers now face a team that is dealing with heavy pressure of its own. If there's any team that received more preseason hype than the Blazers, it's the Rockets. Bringing in a talented but volatile forward like Ron Artest tends to bring that kind of attention - especially when the move is intended to push Houston from playoff also-ran to championship contender.

The early returns have been promising. Their only loss is to the reigning champion Boston Celtics on Tuesday - and even then, they fell by just four points. Artest has provided his typical stout defense and, while he hasn't quite found his shot yet, he is still averaging 17.5 points per game - more than enough to supplement Tracy McGrady (20.0) and Yao Ming (18.8).