When the Portland Trail Blazers travel to meet the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, the game will feature two teams going in vastly different directions.
The Trail Blazers got off to a slow start this season, but have since won three-straight games after a recent offensive explosion. The Suns, on the other hand, are falling down the standings after losing three straight games, including Saturday's 97-88 defeat against the Miami Heat.
Portland is 5-5 on the season and is in third place in the Northwest Division. The team opened the year winning two of their first three games, but then lost four in a row, including a close 112-109 loss against the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday.
The Blazers have been playing fantastic on offense in the past three games and rank seventh in the NBA in scoring with 100.4 points per game.
The three-game win streak started with a 103-86 road win against the Sacramento Kings last Tuesday that was followed by home wins against the Rockets 119-117 in overtime and against the Chicago Bulls 102-94 on Sunday.
"We won the last three games and we needed to," said Damian Lillard to the Associated Press. "We dropped three at home and it was important for us to try to get back to .500 with three winnable games. Now we have to try to go get another one on the road."
Rookie Damian Lillard has been stellar for Portland this season, averaging 19 points and 6.1 assists per game and is "the first player to post averages that high through his first 10 games since Isiah Thomas in 1981," according to the Associated Press.
Lillard was drafted out of Weber State with the No. 6 pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Blazers and has already exceeded expectations. According to ESPN.com, "Lillard joined Oscar Robertson as one of the only players to record 20 or more points and more than seven assists in their first three rookie season games."
Portland has had issues on defense and with rebounding, ranking in the bottom five of the league in both, but has improved recently.
"It feels good, getting our juices going, our confidence going," Wesley Matthews said. "We're finally playing like a team that knows how to win."
Matthews scored 21 points in the win against Chicago on Sunday, while Lilliard scored a career-high 27 points against Houston along with five rebounds and five assists. LaMarcus Aldridge is leading the team in scoring and has scored 47 points and 19 rebounds in the past two games.
According to the Associated Press, a win against the Suns would give Portland "their longest winning streak and first set of back-to-back road wins since March 2011."
Phoenix has played well offensively this season, averaging nearly 99 points per game, but has been plagued with defensive issues. The team is ranked 30th in points allowed per game and is turning over the ball at a high rate.
The team didn't score for the first four minutes of Saturday's 97--88 home loss to the Heat, which may force head coach Alvin Gentry to change his lineup.
"We can't keep playing like this," Gentry said to the Associated Press. "We have to do something where we can make an adjustment and we'll see what can happen from here."
Goran Dragic has been the most consistent player on the team this year, leading the Suns in points, assists and steals. Dragic is averaging 16 points per game, but scored a season-low 12 points against Miami.
Marcin Gortat has been a steady presence at center, averaging nearly a double-double with 11 points and 9.8 rebounds, but has only scored 10 points in the past two games. Jermaine O'Neal has been valuable off the bench, scoring 22 points and 11 rebounds over that same span.
"No matter if you start, no matter if you come off the bench, you have to play with energy," Beasley said. "... We have to play like we want to win. We can't decide we want to win halfway through the second quarter, we're not that good yet. So if (Gentry) changes the starting lineup, that's his decision."
The Suns are struggling in their first season without franchise star Steve Nash, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason. The team ranks only 23rd in assists per game and has had issues getting into a flow offensively.
According to the Associated Press, "The Blazers have lost three straight in Phoenix, including two last season by a combined 43 points."
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