The initial matchup between
Shaquille O'Neal and
Greg Oden will once again have to wait.
Only one of the big men will be in action as the
Phoenix Suns look for a 10th consecutive victory over the visiting
Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
When the 7-foot Oden was drafted No. 1 overall by Portland in 2007, the club had hope he would one day turn into the dominating inside presence the 7-1 O'Neal has been throughout a career that's featured 14 All-Star appearances and three NBA Finals MVP awards.That still may be the case at some point for Oden, whose brief pro career has consisted of one game. After missing his rookie season because of knee surgery, Oden is out two to four weeks after injuring his foot in the Blazers' 96-76 season-opening loss to the
Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
"I feel bad for him," said Portland guard
Brandon Roy, who had 26 points in a 100-99 win over San Antonio on Friday. "I know this is a big year for him and he had a lot on his shoulders."After ending a 12-game losing streak to the Spurs, the Blazers (1-1) try to snap a nine-game skid to Phoenix, which has also won seven in a row at home over the Blazers dating to 2004. Portland won 111-101 at home on March 12, 2006 for its last victory over the Suns.After scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in Phoenix's 103-98 win at San Antonio to open the season on Wednesday, O'Neal was held to eight and eight boards in the Suns' 108-95 home loss to the New Orleans on Thursday.
Steve Nash had 24 points and nine assists, and Amare Stoudemire added 21 points with 12 rebounds for Phoenix, which committed 24 turnovers resulting in 21 New Orleans points.
"I just thought we tried to force things when we didn't need to," first-year Suns coach
Terry Porter said. "It really hurt us. Turnovers lead to easy baskets. When you give up easy baskets in this league and you let a team shoot 54 percent, you're going to really struggle."With former coach Mile D'Antoni in New York, the Suns are no longer running the floor at a quick pace, but trying a more defensive-oriented approach under Porter, who spent his first 10 NBA seasons as a player with Portland."We're still a work in progress," the Suns'
Raja Bell said, "and there's going to be some bumps along the way. Not every night is going to be a well-oiled machine out there on the court."Regardless of how fine-tuned the Suns are Saturday, it still might be enough to continue their dominance over Portland. O'Neal is averaging 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in 44 career games versus the Blazers.
Lamarcus Aldridge had 23 points and Roy added seven assists as Portland overcame 55.9 percent shooting by San Antonio after
Michael Finley's shot at the buzzer that rimmed out.Roy, the team's leading scorer last season at 19.1 points per game, has struggled in his last two games versus Phoenix, combining for 15 points after averaging 24.6 in his previous three against the Suns.
