Blazers vs. Heat

PORTLAND, OREGON - December 28, 2013 - Portland Trail Blazers small forward Dorell Wright (1) defends Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) as the Portland Trail Blazers face the Miami Heat at the Moda Center. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

(Bruce Ely)

The Portland Trail Blazers host the Miami Heat tonight in a nationally televised matchup at the Moda Center at 7:30 p.m. (TV: TNT, Radio: KPOJ 620).

The Heat have had three days off since beating the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday and come to Portland to play the first of a five-game Western Conference trip. Miami (15-20) will be looking to win consecutive games for the first time since beating Orlando and Charlotte on Nov. 22 and 23.

Portland (27-8) knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night and needs a win over Miami to keep pace with the Golden State Warriors for most wins in the NBA.

Before the game tips off tonight, here's a look around the web at the latest news and notes from both teams:

Wesley Matthews questionable, Chris Kaman to start against Miami Heat: Trail Blazers notes

"They tested the major ligaments and all that and everything is fine. The structure is good and everything," he said. "It's just going to be a matter of how much mobility I have. Right now it's easier for it to go back into hyperextension. So I'll just wait it out I guess."

Matthews did not go through full practice on Wednesday, but said he tested his knee with "some shooting, did a little bit of cutting, some pull-ups."

Podcast: Lillard Talks Daggers, 'Killing 'Em' And His Relationship with Aldridge on the Dan Le Batard Show | Casey Holdahl, ForwardCenter.net

Best point guard in the league is ... ?

Damian Lillard: The best point guard in the league right now I'd probably say is Steph Curry.

Who is the toughest guy for you to guard in the league? Is it Steph Curry?

Damian Lillard: Steph is really tough to guard because of how well he shoots the ball and he can really handle the ball better than a lot of people might think. But I'd have to say Russ Westbrook.

Trail Blazers still see value in morning shootarounds | Sean Meagher, The Oregonian/OregonLive

"I think it's good for us," Lillard said. "To get up in the morning, to get ourselves moving around. We've had games where we get up, it's a Sunday game and we go over our stuff on the court and I feel sluggish a little bit from laying around (in the morning) and not moving around. Getting up and doing stuff has always been better for me."

Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard 5th, LaMarcus Aldridge 6th in latest returns of NBA All-Star balloting | Joe Freeman, The Oregonian/OregonLive

LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard continue to receive substantial All-Star votes. But they also continue to remain outside the top four vote-getters on the NBA's third batch of All-Star ballot returns.

Western Conference road trip crucial for Heat | Barry Jackson, Miami Herald



"This is good for us, to be on the road 10 days and have five games," Dwyane Wade said. "At least you get to spread it out. It's a good challenge. These teams are playing very well. You don't want to come back from this road trip and be 10 games under .500."

The Scouting Report: Miami Heat | Erik Gunderson, The Columbian

Although "pace and space" has been a mantra for the Heat under Erik Spoelstra the last few seasons, the Heat have played at a very slow pace. They currently rank dead-last in possessions per game.

Mostly because of Wade's ability, they are one of the best teams in the league at getting to the free-throw line at the third-highest rate in the league. Their defensive philosophy is to try and make other teams make mistakes by pressuring them in the pick and roll. Most teams have a more conservative philosophy and the Heat like to trap.

Trail Blazers' Thomas Robinson answers your questions about fashion, pizza, his favorite block, handling adversity and more | Joe Freeman, The Oregonian/OregonLive

Q:

What do you think back to as your best NBA blocked shot? Who wins in a game of 21 between the Morris twins and you?

"Corey Brewer. That was my best."

Me:

What was the reaction like from that? You must've gotten a lot of attention.

A:

"Yeah, that was crazy. It blew up. It went viral. It went bananas. Because it was beyond Portland. It was crazy."

Me:

And what about the game of 21:

A:

"Marcus. One-on-one, he's tough to guard. He has a lot of stuff with him. He's showing a lot of it this year, because he's getting to play. He's tough to guard one-on-one."

Miami Heat needs much better play at point guard | Barry Jackson, Miami Herald

Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers are struggling through two of the worst shooting seasons of their careers, and (Shabazz) Napier has the worst assist-to-turnover ratio of any NBA point guard who has played at least 10 games. The Heat also has had trouble keeping quick point guards from penetrating.

| Shandel Richardson, Sun Sentinel

In this season of change, the Heat are hoping time away from family can help improve chemistry. Continuity has been one of the biggest issues, whether because of unfamiliar faces or injuries. The combination has stunted the growth process and been a big part of the reason for the early-season struggles.

"It's simple as this: when you're at home, you go home to family," guard Dwyane Wade said. "... On the road, you have nobody there. All you have is each other ... We have a few [trips] throughout the year. It's always challenging to go out West but it's always a good challenge for us. I know it's cliche but teams do grow one way or the other on these trips."

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