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LaMarcus Aldridge tosses a full-court shot after the Blazers' shootaround at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

(Bruce Ely/The Oregonian)

ATLANTA -- LaMarcus Aldridge will play when the

, he said Thursday after the team's shootaround at Philips Arena.

“I’m going,” Aldridge said. “We’ll see how it goes, but I’m going.”

Aldridge has not played since

on March 12. After losing that game, the Blazers lost four of their next seven, including all three to start the five-game road trip they are on.

Aldridge held a workout here Wednesday with several of Portland’s post players. He said he still feels some pain in the back when he runs, but he said it’s just time he plays.

“I want to come back because I’ve been out so long,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to take this long, but backs are a sensitive area to injure. It’s taken longer, and we’ve exhausted every treatment and every option to rehab, so try it out.”

Aldridge said he is not sure how much he will be able to play.

“We’re going to find out,” he said. “When you have discomfort, you can’t really put a number on it. It’s about going out there and seeing how it goes as it goes. Hopefully I feel great, when I’m a competitive atmosphere, I’ll just forget about it.”

The Blazers (45-27) have slid enough since the All-Star break that there is some doubt about them making the playoffs, especially with some of the

.

“We’ve got 10 games left,” Aldridge he said. “The way we are in the standings now makes me want to come back faster and want to get things back on track. That has a part in it. But again, we’ve tried to treat my back any way possible, and now it’s time to see how it is.”

Aldridge has watched every game since he’s been out and says it’s hard to pinpoint where the Blazers’ problem are, mostly because he was not playing. Aldridge is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.

“I definitely had the chance to watch, but it’s not the same if I’m not playing,” he said. “I’m not trying to be arrogant, but our offense just flows a little bit different when I’m out there. It’s hard to really assess it when I’m not playing. But I think everybody is looking in the mirror right now and trying to figure out what they can do better.”

-- Mike Tokito