Trail Blazers stop off in Detroit

This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season. Portland is scheduled to host the Pistons on March 14, 2007 at the Rose Garden.

The Pistons have won three straight and four of the last five meetings in this series. Portland has dropped two of its last three at Detroit.

Detroit attempts to bounce back from a surprising loss. On Sunday, Emeka Okafor scored 18 points to lead a balanced attack in Charlotte’s 97-89 win over the Pistons at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Rasheed Wallace had 19 points in the loss against Charlotte for the Pistons, while Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton both scored 17 for Detroit, which had its eight-game winning streak halted.

The Pistons are 6-2 at home this season. After tonight’s contest, they will embark on a four-game road trip. Detroit will visit Dallas, Orlando, Indiana and New Jersey on the upcoming swing.

Portland, which went 0-4 on a four-game homestand and has lost five straight contests overall, begins a six-game road trip this evening. On Sunday, Joe Johnson scored 33 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists as Atlanta ended a nine-game losing streak to Portland after downing the Trail Blazers, 107-96, at the Rose Garden.

Zach Randolph finished with 30 points in the loss to Atlanta for the Trail Blazers, while Martell Webster netted 18 for Portland, which has dropped 10 of its last 12 overall.

The Trail Blazers are 2-6 on the road this season. They will visit Milwaukee on Wednesday, Indiana on Friday, Toronto on Sunday, Philadelphia on December 11th and Memphis on December 13th in the finale of the swing.