Phoenix at Portland

The Portland Trailblazers showed some signs of an up-and-coming team a year ago when they ran off 13 straight wins and 17 of 18. This season, they have been much more consistent and less streaky, dominating at home where they have compiled an 8-2 home mark. They will also be playing this one with double revenge as they lost to Phoenix twice already, but the difference was that those games were in Phoenix. The Suns have what appears to be a favorable record on the road at 7-5, but a closer look tells a very revealing story. The Suns have not beaten a team with a record of over .500 on the road since the opener against San Antonio, who got off to a horrible start due to injuries. This is a tough Portland team that has learned to protect its home court, and I'll back them in this one.