The Trail Blazers get their look at another Western Conference playoff contender when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Rose Garden for a Christmas night encounter.
It will be the first meeting this season between Portland (18-11) and Dallas (16-11), two of the nine bonafide contenders to reach the playoffs in the West. The game is the fifth of eight home dates in a stretch of nine games for the Blazers, who are 10-2 at the Garden this season.
"Another good team," Portland coach Nate McMillan said of the Mavericks. "It's here at home. We want to continue to protect (our) home court. That game will be another challenge for us. We haven't seen them yet. We'll be looking forward to that."
TRAIL BLAZERS 101, NUGGETS 92: Portland avenged a loss in Denver a night earlier and moved back into a tie with the Nuggets atop the Northwest Division.
Denver went both games without Carmelo Anthony, sidelined with an elbow injury.
"Our guys bounced back," McMillan said. "The challenge tonight was to be the more aggressive team. I knew we could play better."
The Blazers, the No. 1 rebounding team in the NBA, lost the rebounding battle 44-32 Monday night in Denver. On Tuesday, Portland held a 41-36 edge on the boards and a 34-22 advantage in points in the paint.
After attempting only three free throws in the first half, the Blazers tried 24 in the second half, finishing 24 of 27 at the line.
"We have to do is make that transition, playing against teams like Phoenix, Denver, Dallas," McMillan said. "All of these games require the same type of basketball ? very physical and focused. We have to be the aggressors. We have to beat these teams with our aggressive play. We have to be on the attack. (Tuesday night), we did that."
