Probable starters

Portland

No.

Name

Ht.

Pos.

Statistics

2

Steve Blake

6-3

PG

9.4 ppg, 3.8 apg

7

Brandon Roy

6-7

G

21.3 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.9 rpg

88

Nicolas Batum

6-9

SF

5.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg

12

LaMarcus Aldridge

6-11

PF

15.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg

10

Joel Przybilla

7-1

C

6.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg

Sacramento

15

John Salmons

6-6

G

18.8 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.5 rpg

19

Beno Udrih

6-3

G

12.7 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.3 rpg

20

Donte Green

6-11

F

4.0 ppg

52

Brad Miller

7-0

C

12.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 5.1 apg

34

Jason Thompson

6-1

F

11.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg

Notable: Both teams enter tonight's meeting on the heels of impressive victories. The Blazers logged their biggest win in the coach Nate McMillan era, 116-74, against the Chicago Bulls Wednesday night at the Rose Garden. That same evening, Sacramento pulled off a surprise, defeating New Orleans 105-96 on the road. The shorthanded Kings and embattled coach Reggie Theus have used three different lineups in the past three games, in part because of injuries. Donte Green, a rookie, made his first start against the Hornets and scored 15 points; Salmons finished with a game-high 29 points and six assists. The Kings have lost four of their last six games.

Series history: The Blazers face the Kings for the first time this season after losing three of four meetings, including the final three, last season. The Blazers own a 104-69 all-time advantage in the series but have lost seven of the past 10 --and 10 of the past 15 --meetings.

Injuries: Forward Martell Webster (foot) is out for the Blazers. Guard Kevin Martin (ankle) and forward Mikki Moore (ankle) are questionable, and Francisco Garcia (calf) is out for the Kings.

-- Joe Freeman