Portland hosts Magic

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the squads. On November 25th, Jameer Nelson scored a season-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting as the Magic defeated the Trail Blazers, 104-89, at TD Waterhouse Centre.

Orlando has won two straight contests in this series. The Magic snapped a five-game series road losing streak on March 19, 2005.

The Magic, who play the third of a four-game road trip, will be without Steve Francis and possibly Keyon Dooling. Francis was suspended by Orlando on Thursday for conduct detrimental to the team while Dooling faces a possible suspension from the league for fighting with Seattle’s All-Star guard Ray Allen during Wednesday’s 113-104 loss to the SuperSonics at KeyArena.

Orlando attempts to halt a two-game losing streak. Rashard Lewis scored a season-high 45 points, and the SuperSonics overcame the early exit of Allen for a 113-104 victory over the Magic at KeyArena.

Jameer Nelson finished with a career-high 32 points and also dished out eight assists in the loss to Seattle for the Magic, who have dropped five of their last six games overall. Hedo Turkoglu scored 16 points, while DeShawn Stevenson ended with 15 points for Orlando.

The Magic, who will visit the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at ARCO Arena, are 4-11 on the road this season. They have lost six in a row as the visitor. Their last roadf victory was on December 14th against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Portland plays the third contest of a season-long eight-game homestand. The Trail Blazers are 1-1 on the stand.

Juan Dixon poured in 27 points and dished out six assists to lead the Trail Blazers to a 113-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at the Rose Garden.

Ruben Patterson ended with 21 points off the bench in the win over the Lakers for Portland, which halted a six-game skid. Zach Randolph contributed a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Steve Blake contributed 19 points and nine assists for the Blazers.

The Trail Blazers are just 7-10 at the Rose Garden this season. They will host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Portland will also play Toronto, Dallas, Denver and New Jersey on the current homestand.