Winners of two games in a row and five of nine, the Timberwolves end this three-game trip against a Blazers team that beat Oklahoma City 120-115 at home on Wednesday and has won consecutive games themselves. The Blazers have won six of their past seven games, are 24-11 in their past 35 games and own the league's fifth-best record since Jan. 23. At 43-37, they are battling Memphis for the West's fifth playoff spot in a season that began with many of the pundits picking them to finish near the conference's bottom. Missing four starters from last season's team, they are the first in NBA history to make the playoffs despite returning two or fewer players who played at least 1,000 minutes the previous season. … They've done so with a starting backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who each scored 21 points when these two teams last met in January at Moda Center. … The Blazers have won the past four meetings, including all three this season, and the past eight played in Portland. They spoiled the Wolves' home opener in November 106-101 and won at Target Center again 109-103 a month later before winning 96-93 in Portland on Jan. 31.
Players to watch: Lillard and McCollum average a combined 45.9 points a game. That's the third best by any tandem in the NBA this season. Golden State's Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson average 52.5 points a game and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook average 51.7. … Wolves rookie F Nemanja Bjelica's 18 points and four made three-pointers in Thursday night's 105-97 victory at Sacramento were both career highs. … Trail Blazers starting forward Al-Farouq Aminu has averaged 16.1 points and shot 50 percent, including 47.5 percent on three-pointers, in his past seven games. He's also scored 20 or more points in three of those seven games. He has made more three-pointers this season (122) than he had in his first five NBA seasons combined (109).
Injuries: Wolves F Kevin Garnett (sore knee) and C Nikola Pekovic (sore ankle) haven't played since January and each remains out. Blazers C Meyers Leonard (shoulder) is out.
JERRY ZGODA
