Trail Blazers vs Nets Wednesday, 11/25/09 AT 07:00PM

Reeling Nets head to Portland

11/24/09

Written by: Max Mandel  / avg. rating: 5.0

Often times in sports, the most dangerous team to face is the one that seems to have nothing going for it. For this reason, the Trail Blazers (11-5) need to remain focused when they face the New Jersey Nets (0-13) Wednesday night at thte Rose Garden. Opening tip for the game is scheduled for 7:00 PST at the Rose Garden.

Portland will be looking to build on their recent success against New Jersey. Last season the Trail Blazers completed a sweep of the season series and have now won three in a row against the Nets. The Trail Blazers have had incredible success against the Nets in Portland, with a 29-5 home record against New Jersey, which is the highest winning percentage this franchise has against any team on its home court. Both Jerryd Bayless and Brandon Roy will certainly be looking forward to facing this Nets team. When these teams met in New Jersey last season, Bayless scored a career-high 23 points to help lead Portland to a come from behind win. Roy had tremendous success in both match ups, averaging 30 points per game and hitting 28-33 attempts from the free throw line.

In the win over Chicago, Greg Oden played arguably the best game of his young career. Oden matched a career-high with 24 points on 7-8 shooting and pulled down 12 rebounds. Oden repeatedly used his size and strength to overpower the front court of the Bulls and finished around the rim with powerful dunks. Now that he has the confidence to match his size and strength, Oden is emerging as one of the most dominant big guys in the league. Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan continues to see improvement from Oden every time he takes the court.

"He's getting a better feel every night," McMillan said after the victory. "For him, he's seeing different types of defense, where they're fronting him, they're double teaming him, they're double teaming him on the catch. I think he's doing a good job of establishing deep position by being patient."

Even with Oden playing at such a high level, the win over Chicago was not a one man show. LaMarcus Aldridge put on a shooting clinic, hitting 10-16 from the field and scoring 24 points. Rudy Fernandez and Andre Miller came off the bench and provided great production. Fernandez continued his torrid shooting, as he hit 5-7 shots and scored 13 points. Miller routinely pushed the ball in transition, scoring 14 points and dishing out five fantastic assists. According to McMillan, this is the type of offense this team is capable of when they are in a rhythm.

"We had the inside game going with LaMarcus and Greg. Brandon was on the perimeter. Andre did a good job of coming in and quarterbacking and being aggressive and getting guys involved. I though all night long we had a good offensive rhythm."

While it's impossible to ignore the struggles the Nets have had this season, this is a team that has been hit hard by injuries. After missing the previous 10 games, Devin Harris returned on Saturday night against the Knicks. When he is healthy, Harris is one of the quickest guards in the league, and the type of guy that can give the Trail Blazers defense fits. In Brook Lopez, the Nets have one of the elite centers in the league. Lopez is averaging 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in only his second season in the league.

Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw, Jeff Pendergraph, and Patty Mills remain sidelined for the Trail Blazers. The game can be seen on Comcast SportsNet, where Mike Rice and Mike Barrett will have the call. 95.5 FM The Game will have the radio broadcast, with Antonio Harvey and Brian Wheeler providing the call.
 
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