With his Nuggets banged up and bruised (bodies and egos), coach George Karl is shaking things up.
Denver forward Kenyon Martin will not start tonight against Portland, resting his sore back. Johan Petro will start in his place.
J.R. Smith, one of Denver's more explosive reserves, will start in place of Dahntay Jones. And reserve guard Anthony Carter will not play.
The Nuggets have lost two in a row and five of their past seven games.
And reserve rookie guard Sonny Weems said that after tonight's game, he will join the Colorado 14ers in the NBA's Developmental League, and will likely stay there until March 27.
Tonight, the Blazers (38-22) will play at Denver (39-22), where they have lost 10 of the last 11 meetings. The winner will hold first place in the Northwest Division while assuring at least a season split of the four-game series. The series concludes April 15 in the Rose Garden, the season's finale.
"First place," Roy said, knowing the question would be asked. "It's an opportunity to go out there and play for first place and that's one of our goals, to try and win the division. But it's one game. We have to do our best to go out and win it, but it is a big game for us."
The Blazers are 16 games above .500 for the first time since the 2002-2003 season, and are percentage points ahead of Houston for the fourth best record in the Western Conference. The top four teams earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and the Blazers are 25-5 at the Rose Garden, the fourth best home record in the NBA.
The win was Portland's 10th in a row at the Rose Garden, tied for the fifth longest in arena history, and it ended a nine-game losing streak to the Pacers, who held the longest current hex over the Blazers. It continued a season-long trend of erasing much of the franchise's recent ineptitude, as the Blazers have ended a 12-game losing streak to San Antonio, an 11-game slide to Phoenix, a seven game drought against Boston and a five-game slump against Houston.
Denver forward Kenyon Martin will not start tonight against Portland, resting his sore back. Johan Petro will start in his place.
J.R. Smith, one of Denver's more explosive reserves, will start in place of Dahntay Jones. And reserve guard Anthony Carter will not play.
The Nuggets have lost two in a row and five of their past seven games.
And reserve rookie guard Sonny Weems said that after tonight's game, he will join the Colorado 14ers in the NBA's Developmental League, and will likely stay there until March 27.
Tonight, the Blazers (38-22) will play at Denver (39-22), where they have lost 10 of the last 11 meetings. The winner will hold first place in the Northwest Division while assuring at least a season split of the four-game series. The series concludes April 15 in the Rose Garden, the season's finale.
"First place," Roy said, knowing the question would be asked. "It's an opportunity to go out there and play for first place and that's one of our goals, to try and win the division. But it's one game. We have to do our best to go out and win it, but it is a big game for us."
The Blazers are 16 games above .500 for the first time since the 2002-2003 season, and are percentage points ahead of Houston for the fourth best record in the Western Conference. The top four teams earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and the Blazers are 25-5 at the Rose Garden, the fourth best home record in the NBA.
The win was Portland's 10th in a row at the Rose Garden, tied for the fifth longest in arena history, and it ended a nine-game losing streak to the Pacers, who held the longest current hex over the Blazers. It continued a season-long trend of erasing much of the franchise's recent ineptitude, as the Blazers have ended a 12-game losing streak to San Antonio, an 11-game slide to Phoenix, a seven game drought against Boston and a five-game slump against Houston.
