The Trail Blazers are one of the youngest and more athletic teams in the NBA. They'll meet their mirror image Tuesday night when they face the Atlanta Hawks at the Rose Garden.
It presents a defensive challenge for Portland, which must find a way to slow down the athleticism provided by the likes of Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, Al Horford and Marvin Williams. The stabilizing force in the Atlanta attack is veteran point guard Mike Bibby. "They have a lot of ways they can hurt you," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "Defense is always a key for us, but especially so against a team like Atlanta."
Portland has had its way with Atlanta in recent years, winning 12 of the last 14 meetings. The Hawks rolled 98-80 in the last matchup last season at Atlanta.
TRAIL BLAZERS 83, THUNDER 74: Portland shot only .406 from the field but got a strong shooting performance out of point guard Steve Blake, who made 6 of 9 attempts, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, en route to a team-high 18 points. The Blazers jumped to a 12-point lead in the first quarter and led most of the way.
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