The Trail Blazers end a four-game road trip at Minnesota Saturday night, and they wouldn't mind an easier go at it than they experienced in their first meeting with the Timberwolves.
Portland needed a second-half comeback to overtake Minnesota 97-93 last Saturday at the Rose Garden. "It's always hard to beat a team twice in such a short period," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "We'll need to play better than we did in Portland to win this time."
Portland native Kevin Love, the Timberwolves' first-round draft pick, had a game he'd just soon forget in his return home. The 6-10 power forward was 0-for-7 from the field and had only two points and seven rebounds.
HORNETS 87, TIMBERWOLVES 82: Portland managed only two field goals in the final seven minutes --both Brandon Roy three-pointers inside the last minute --as New Orleans ended the Blazers' four-game win streak.
The Hornets were cold down the stretch, too, with only a pair of James Posey treys as their lone baskets over the final 8:30.
"Defensively, we were pretty good, but we got caught ball-watching a couple of times on Posey and he knocked down two big threes," Portland coach Nate McMillan said.
McMillan felt the Blazers got stagnant against a trapping New Orleans defense.
"We didn't get movement," the Blazer coach said. "Playing against this type of pressure is what we're going to face. The intensity is going to go up in the third and fourth quarter, and you have to execute."
