Some trends in the NBA make perfect sense. Others do not. The fact that the Trail Blazers have now won 7 of the last 9 games they've played at the Palace of Auburn Hills could be a little surprising to you, given the very recent history of both teams. Again, as we said early in the TV broadcast last night, some of these things can't be explained- you just ride them as long as you can. For some reason, the Blazers play well in Detroit. They beat the Pistons last night 88-85.

It was a nice, and you could probably say unlikely way, to snap a 5-game losing streak. You drop all four games on a homestand, and then hit the road for 6-straight games, and win the first one in Detroit. And this wasn't some flukey win. The Blazers didn't play anything close to a perfect game, or beat the Pistons when they were having a horrible night, or without six of their best players or anything. They simply smothered them with defense, hustle, and rebouding. Three things that have been missing lately.

Last season in Detroit, Zach Randolph put 37 points on Rasheed Wallace, a career high, and the Blazers lost the game in the final seconds. It was clear on that night Wallace needed help guarding Zach, and that double-teaming him, like the rest of the league does, was clearly the best way to force someone else to beat you. Flip Saunders apparently thought he knew something other team's didn't, and didn't double-team Zach until it was too late. Randolph cruised to 31 points and 13 rebounds. Rasheed had his hands so full trying to slow down his former teammate, it threw his offensive game out of whack as well, and he shot just 3 of 10, and had only 7 points.

Speaking of Portland's defense, they held the Pistons to just 43 percent shooting, and kept them 10 points under their season average. Tayshaun Prince, who was never a factor in the game, had just 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting. Rip Hamilton, who had 15 consecutive points for Detroit to end the first quarter, scored just 10 the rest of the way. And the guy who always seems to play well against the Blazers, Flip Murray, was effective off the bench, scoring 11 points, but at no point took over the game, like he can.

Again, the Blazers didn't play a tremendous offensive game. They shot, and scored, below their seasonal averages. They were just 41 percent from the field, and were only 3 for 10 on three-pointers. But, they turned the ball over only 8 times, and outrebounded Detroit 46-35.

Jarrett Jack had a very solid game, against a guy he's been compared to a lot, in Billups. Jack had 18 points, 5 assists, just 1 turnover, and was also 9 for 11 from the free throw line. He was under control, and displayed a kind of leadership that Nate McMillan has been wanting. I mentioned Sunday to expect to see more of Sergio Rodriguez, because of how he's been handling the team on the floor. Don't think Jarrett hasn't been noticing all of this, and against Detroit he very much answered his coach's request. We saw Sergio for a few minutes in this game, but McMillan just didn't think the matchups, guarding a much bigger Billups, and then Flip Murray, were good ones for him.

It's also been said lately that with Joel Przybilla and Raef LaFrentz back, the player who could be losing some minutes is LaMarcus Aldridge. Nate has been the one who has mentioned that. Trouble is, how do you not play Aldridge big minutes when he gives you this? The rookie had his first NBA double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds last night. He was 5 for 9 from the field, and hit several deep jumpers. He and Zach are making for a very nice combo, with the inside, outside play.

It was nice to see the Trail Blazers happy on the short flight from Detroit to Milwaukee after the game. Zach climbed on the plane, and said "that's more like it," with a big smile on his face (see photo above).

No time to rest, as the Blazers take on the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. We'll have it for you at 5 o'clock on KGW-8, at the Trail Blazers Television Network. Wheels and Tone will, of course, have it on the Blazers Radio Network.

One last note- Brandon Roy had a very good workout yesterday at the Blazers practice facility in Tualatin. He shot and did some conditioning, and was pain free. We had a camera crew there shooting some of the workout, and we'll be rolling some of that video into the TV broadcast tonight.

For the first time since December of 1997, the Atlanta Hawks have won a game in Portland. You knew a streak like that was going to end at some point, the Trail Blazers were just hoping it didn't have to be on Sunday night. The Hawks kicked off their west-coast swing with a 107-96 victory at the Rose Garden, and sent the Trail Blazers on their longest road trip of the season, still riding their losing streak.

This game was a carbon copy of so many we've seen played by the Blazers lately. Nate McMillan even commented that he's starting to sound like a broken record. A slow start, not enough help for Zach Randolph, too many turnovers, and not enough defense. Those were just a few of the comments made following the last four games on this homestand. They all applied again against the Hawks.

Randolph again, got his offensive numbers. He had 30 points on 11-18 shooting, but also turned the ball over five times. The Blazers, as a team, turned it over 21 times. That's not the most distrurbing number, however. The fact that another team shot a high percentage against Portland's defense, has the coaching staff very concerned. In this homestand alone, Phoenix shot 54 percent, Indiana 52 percent, Orlando 49 percent, and Atlanta 51 percent. When you're struggling to defend, you have to play a nearly perfect offensive game to have a chance to win. This Blazers team has some offensive firepower, but not enough to be giving up easy baskets at the other end.

Atlanta was led by Joe Johnson's 33 points. Tyron Lue, off the bench, had 19 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Behind the three-point line, Atlanta was 8 for 17. That's 47 percent, and many of them were wide-open looks. The Blazers shot a very respectable 49 percent from the field, including going 7 for 13 on three pointers. That's enough to get you a win, offensively.

When talking about positives in the loss, one player stands out to me. Martell Webster, who was taken out of the starting lineup, responded, and looked as agressive as we've seen him look lately. Martell had 18 points (4 of 6 on threes), and also grabbed five rebounds. He turns 20 on Monday, and is probably too young to realize how important he is to this team right now. He simply has to bring that kind of agressiveness to the court in every single game if he's going to be a starter. With so many teams collapsing the defense around Zach, someone has to hit outside shots. At the very least, they have to attempt outside shots. Martell is the team's best deep threat, and if he's even close to being on, it can change a game. He'll have to be this same way on this road trip for Portland to have a chance in these games.

The Blazers got strong play from their point guards as well on Sunday. Jarrett Jack had 9 points and 8 assists, and continues to give up more and more playing time to Sergio Rodriguez. Jarrett played 28 minutes, and Sergio played 26. Of course, just because Sergio comes in, doesn't mean Jarrett goes out. We've seen him playing some off-guard as well, and he's big enough to guard some of the bigger twos in this league. Sergio had 8 points and 11 assists against the Hawks, and continues to run the team very well. He's only 20, by the way.

By the time most of you will be reading this, we'll be in the air on our way to Detroit. Tuesday night this six-game trip begins with a game against the Pistons. It's then on to Milwaukee, Indiana, Toronto, Philadelphia, and Memphis.

Raef LaFrentz will be making the trip, and expects to be in uniform against the Pistons (4:30pm FSN Northwest). He was one guy, before the season, we said could really help this team. Then he had this calf injury. It'll take him some time to get into prime game shape, but this team can badly use his outside shooting. I'm looking foward to seeing him play alongside Zach, and pulling his defender away from the paint, and Zach.

As you've probably heard, Brandon Roy will not be making the trip, but will be working out in Portland, trying to get his conditioning back. He'll also be testing his left heel, and hopefully won't be feeling significant pain. He says circle the game on the 15th against the Clippers, as that's when he'd love to make his return. If all goes well, that's the earliest we'll see him.

Talk to you from Detroit.

Following his game-winning shot with three-tenths of a second left at the Rose Garden on Friday night, Grant Hill said, "we got lucky." He went on to talk about the effort by the Trail Blazers, the incredible second half by Zach Randolph, and his own huge plays in the final seconds of the game.

Orlando conntinues to roll, as they've now won six straight games, including five straight on the road. They also made history with the win over the Blazers. They've played the Sonics and Trail Blazers on back-to-back nights, on the road, 15 times in their history. This is the first time they've come away with victories in both games. They also now share the NBA's best record, with Utah, who is also 13 and 4.

Hill, the classy veteran, who has been better known for his injury-plagued career in Orlando than his play on the court, had the two biggest plays of the night. First, he picked off a Sergio Rodriguez pass with 30 seconds left, and then tied the game with two free throws. Then, with just 1.2 seconds left and the game tied, received a lob pass from Hedo Turkoglu, and put in the game-winner. The Blazers didn't have any time outs left, and the Magic won the game, 91-89.

Hill's clutch plays ruined what was a great come-back effort by the Trail Blazers, who didn't take their first lead in the game until the 1:04 mark of the fourth quarter. Orlando led by as many as 9 points in the game, and repeatedly turned back Portland's attempts to get over the hump.

The Blazers had pulled to within one of Orlando, five different times before finally taking the lead. Then, with Travis Outlaw's jumper, went up 89-87 with 1:04 to play. Following a Hill miss, the Blazers had the ball back, with a two-point lead, with 30 seconds to play. Sergio Rodriguez, who otherwise had an outstanding game, floated a pass out top that was picked off by Hill, who made the tying free throws. Portland still had a possession to try and tie, and when nothing else developed, Sergio drove down the right side of the lane and missed a bank shot with 1.2 left.

The game-winning play was a beauty, designed by Magic coach Brian Hill. The Blazers were most likely thinking Hedo Turkoglu would pass the ball in, and then get it back, with a chance to go for the winner. Instead, Jameer Nelson set a back pick for Hill at the foul line. Jarrett Jack and Ime Udoka, who had been switching on picks all night, got caught in the switch, and Turkoglu's pass was caught by a wide-open Hill, who flipped it in.

The Trail Blazers will be looking at this game as a big missed opportunity to beat one of the hottest teams in the NBA. As several of the players said after the game, the Blazers didn't make the most of several big possessions down the stretch, and missed some key free throws, that would have put them in a much better position. They're beyond searching for moral victories, so no one was happy with just a good effort.

Zach Randolph, who was the focus of Orlando's defense, struggled in the first half against a big Magic frontline, and had just 4 points. But, he came alive in the second half, scoring 24 of his 28 in the final two quarters. He had 16 in the third quarter alone, to get Portland to within striking distance. Zach ended with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Jarrett Jack had 14 points, and Travis Outlaw had 13 off the bench, including the big shot to give the Blazers their first lead with just over a minute left. LaMarcus Aldridge had a solid game, with 10 points off the bench.

By the way, the Blazers have been terrific in late-game pressure so far this season. They had been 4 and 0 in games decided by 4 points or less. It looked as though they'd be playing their first overtime game of the season, until Hill ended the suspense.

There's just one game left on this homestand, and then we're off for a six-game road trip. Atlanta will visit the Rose Garden on Sunday night. We leave early Monday morning for Detroit, Milwaukee, Indiana, Toronto, Philadelphia, and Memphis.

If you think the Trail Blazers have been catching some red-hot teams lately, you’re correct. That’s not about to change Friday night, as Portland hosts the best team from the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic. Many expected Orlando to be improved this season, but not many thought they’d be 12 and 4 after 16 games.

The true measure for any eastern team is how they do against the much-tougher Western Conference. Well, not only are the Magic 5 and 1 against the West, they’ve started this road trip with impressive wins at Utah and Seattle. They’ve won five in a row overall, look to continue that streak.

I know we’re only a month into the season, but Dwight Howard is the dominant center in the east this season, and is a potential MVP of the league. He is an absolute monster, and has been putting up big numbers, averaging 17 points, and 14 rebounds per game. He already has 3 games of 20+ points, and 20+ rebounds. At Seattle on Wednesday, he had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots.

The Magic start a big first unit, with Hedo Turkoglu (6-10), Tony Battie (6-11), and Howard (6-11), on the front line. Grant Hill is healthy and is playing very well, and point guard Jameer Nelson is as tough as nails and makes this Orlando engine roar.

If the offense isn’t enough, and it has been on most nights, the Magic are a force at the defensive end of the floor. They’ve been holding opponents to just 92 points per game, second-best in the NBA. It'll be another big challenge for Zach Randolph, against this Magic shot-blocking machine. We saw Zach have some success against Indiana when he moved out to the perimeter and hit a couple of jumpers. Even though the coaches would ultimately like him in the low block, if he can stretch the defense from the outside, that's fine with them. Problem is, he's Portland's best rebounder, and when he's outside shooting shots he doesn't have a chance at the offensive board.

Following their loss to Indiana on Tuesday, the Trail Blazers took Wednesday off, and returned to practice on Thursday. They mainly worked on defense, and worked on ways to slow down Orlando.

Coach Nate McMillan was a guest on Trail Blazers Courtside on Thursday night, and talked about what will be needed against the Magic. He also discussed the Indiana game, and gave us an update on the status of Raef LaFrentz and Brandon Roy. He also spent time talking about Howard, who he coached on Team USA at the World Championships.

A link to the interview with coach McMillan will be added, in this spot, very shortly.

We were also joined on the show by Joel Przybilla. Joel returned to the Blazers lineup for the game against the Pacers, and talked about how good it feels to be back. He’ll start again Friday night, and hopes to see more action, as he continues to get back into shape.

Friday night’s game against the Magic, is radio only, and begins at 6 o’clock on the Trail Blazers Radio Network.

If you think the Trail Blazers have been catching some red-hot teams lately, you're correct. That's not about to change Friday night, as Portland hosts the best team from the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic. Many expected Orlando to be improved this season, but not many thought they'd be 12 and 4 after 16 games.

The true measure for any eastern team is how they do against the much-tougher Western Conference. Well, not only are the Magic 5 and 1 against the West, they've started this road trip with impressive wins at Utah and Seattle. They've won five in a row overall, look to continue that streak.

I know we're only a month into the season, but Dwight Howard is the dominant center in the east this season, and is a potential MVP of the league. He is an absolute monster, and has been putting up big numbers, averaging 17 points, and 14 rebounds per game. He already has 3 games of 20+ points, and 20+ rebounds. At Seattle on Wednesday, he had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots.

The Magic start a big first unit, with Hedo Turkoglu (6-10), Tony Battie (6-11), and Howard (6-11), on the front line. Grant Hill is healthy and is playing very well, and point guard Jameer Nelson is as tough as nails and makes this Orlando engine roar.

If their offense isn't enough, and it has been on most nights, the Magic are a force at the defensive end of the floor. They've been holding opponents to just 92 points per game, second-best in the NBA. It'll be another big challenge for Zach Randolph, against this Magic shot-blocking machine. We saw Zach have some success against Indiana when he moved out to the perimeter and hit a couple of jumpers. Even though the coaches would ultimately like him in the low block, if he can stretch the defense from the outside, that's fine with them. Problem is, he's Portland's best rebounder, and when he's outside shooting shots he doesn't have a chance at the offensive board.

Following their loss to Indiana on Tuesday, the Trail Blazers took Wednesday off, and returned to practice on Thursday. They mainly worked on defense, and worked on ways to slow down Orlando.

Coach Nate McMillan was a guest on Trail Blazers Courtside on Thursday night, and talked about what will be needed against the Magic. He also discussed the Indiana game, and gave us an update on the status of Raef LaFrentz and Brandon Roy. He also spent time talking about Howard, who he coached on Team USA at the World Championships.

To hear our interview with coach McMillan from last night's radio show, click here .

We were also joined on the show by Joel Przybilla. Joel returned to the Blazers lineup for the game against the Pacers, and talked about how good it feels to be back. He'll start again Friday night, and hopes to see more action, as he continues to get back into shape.

To listen to the interview with Joel, click here .

Friday night's game against the Magic, is radio only, and begins at 6 o'clock on the Trail Blazers Radio Network.

The identity of this Portland team was established in the first few games. The hard-working, scrappy, defensive-minded, never-say-die-attitude-Blazers were showing what they could be when they truly bought into Nate McMillan's philosophy. Following last night's 105-97 loss to the Indiana Pacers, McMillan said the team has to get back to what was bringing them wins. He was mostly talking about defense.

Several games ago I had scratched a note to myself on my desk. It simply says "Portland is 5 and 0 when holding opponents under 100 points." Forget the offense. When you're a young, shorthanded team, you're going to have to outwork people at the defensive end. You can't always control whether or not your outside shot is falling, but you can always give a better effort on defense.

For the third game in a row a Blazer opponent scored over 100, and this time it wasn't the high-scoring Kings, or Phoenix Suns. The Pacers came into the game averaging 95 points per game, which ranked them 25th in that catagory in the NBA. They shot 52 percent from the field, 38 percent from behind the three-point line, and had 28 assists on 38 field goals.

Despite those numbers from Indiana's offense, and Portland's struggles shooting the ball, the game was still tied at 75 after three quarters. So, give the Blazers credit there. They had battled back from an 11-point hole they dug in the first two minutes of the third quarter, and were in a good position, on their home floor, to pull out the game with a strong defensive mindset in the fourth quarter. It didn't happen that way, as the Pacers put up 30 points in the quarter.

In defense of the Blazers, over the past three games they've caught some pretty good teams at perhaps the wrong time. Sacramento returned Brad Miller and Ron Artest to the lineup on Saturday in that game, and were better than they had showed in their recent games. Phoenix had been struggling and was due for a good game. They played their best game of the season Sunday night. And, Indiana was kicking off a 5-game western swing, following a humbling loss to Toronto on Sunday. They were looking at last night's game as a must win. I also think it is safe to say all three of those teams are better than their records. McMillan doesn't want to hear excuses like that, but it's reality.

It was nice to see Joel Przybilla return to the lineup for Portland against Indiana. He played just 7 minutes in the first half, but went 16 in the second half, and grabbed 10 rebounds. His return will undoubtedly help the team defensively.

Jarrett Jack recorded a career-high 21 points, and also had 6 assists on no turnovers. He continues to improve. The Blazers, as a team, outrebounded Indiana 47-34, and recorded 21 offensive rebounds. You don't lose very often when you grab that many offensive boards and outrebound a team by that margin. The problem was, they shot an uncharacteristic 39 percent from the floor, their lowest percentage of the season.

Zach Randolph had 30 points and 11 rebounds, but was just 11 for 27 from the field. We said this before the game on the TV broadcast, and it held true in this game- no one in the NBA defends Zach like Indiana's Jeff Foster. That's the reason Rick Carlisle started Foster last night. He forced Zach into the 11 for 27, and also caused him to turn the ball over 5 times. Keep in mind, the Blazers play this Indiana team again next Friday, in Indianapolis.

There are two home games left before the long six-game trip back east. Orlando is in town on Friday, and Atlanta is at the Garden Sunday. You can bet the Blazers won't be spending much time on offense in practice today or Thursday.

Tired of seeing opposing players score on his team at point-blank range, Blazers coach Nate McMillan seemed relieved after Monday's practice, and said, "help is on the way." He was referring to Joel Przybilla, who, after sitting out three weeks, will likely return to the court on Tuesday night when the Blazers host the Indiana Pacers.

In the second game of the season, at Golden State, Przybilla went up to contest a drive by Troy Murphy, and took a knee square to the abdomen. He continued to play in the game, but in the following days suffered through intense pain and swelling, and was ordered to bed (or the couch) for 4-5 days. The recovery has been much longer than he anticipated, and much more painful as well. He told me many times during the past three weeks that this was the most painful injury he's ever had as an athlete. He finally underwent surgery on the 17th, and is now nearing full strength.

Przybilla practiced on Monday, and certainly looked ready to return game action. He was swatting shots, pulling down rebounds, and even displaying a little offense. The Blazer frontline will welcome him back with open arms. They have been badly needing the help of a shot blocker inside, and have been surrendering a lot of points in the paint. Phoenix had 56 points in the paint on Sunday, and Sacramento had 44 on Saturday, and those are teams not noted for their inside, post-up play.

Raef LaFrentz has returned to practice as well, but won't likely suit up for Tuesday's game. He could, however, be set for a return on Friday when the Orlando Magic come to town. LaFrentz pulled a calf muscle during training camp, and then re-injured it at practice, before the second game of the season. His inside play, and long-range shooting should be a big help when he returns.

Brandon Roy was at practice on Monday, still wearing the boot on his left foot. A timetable for his return is still very much up in the air, unfortunately. Friday Roy will undergo an MRI on his left heel, and more should be known after that. Doctors are hoping the inflammation around the talus bone will be down, and as a precaution, will likely recommend that he stay in the boot for at least another week. If all goes well, he could then perhaps return to activity. A return to practice would follow that. If he's still pain free, a return to action could be on the horizon some time after that. Surgery is being looked at as a last option at this point, but nothing more is known at this time.

I spent about 20 minutes with Brandon following practice today, and as you would expect, it's killing him not to be playing. "I had a great start, and really proved to myself that I can succeed at this level," Roy told me. "Then, this happened. I'm frustrated, but also am just counting the days until I can get back in there. My teammates need me, and I think I can help them."

Roy still isn't sure why he all of a sudden had this severe pain in his heel. He says he never had a problem with it in college, and says that makes it all the more frustrating. "It was bothering me a little bit in the first couple of games," says Roy. "Then in the Minnesota game (Nov.4), I remember coming down and coming to a hard jump stop. I really felt it then. I told Jay (Jensen, Portland's trainer) I could finish that game and stayed in. Then, in the game against the Clippers it really flared up on me and I had to come out. I tried playing again in the next game against the Lakers, but it was just too painful. Hopefully, this time spent resting it will take care of the problem. I'm just not sure right now, and that's what's so difficult."

The Trail Blazers and Pacers go at it Tuesday night at the Rose Garden. Indiana is off to a disappointing 7-7 start, and is opening a difficult 5-game western swing. The Pacers have won five straight against the Blazers, their longest winning streak in the history of the series.

The game will be televised on FSN at 7 o'clock, and can also be heard on the Trail Blazers Radio Network.