SoCal NBA Preview

LA Clippers (22-52) at Seattle (17-57), 7:00 pm
SEATTLE (Ticker) - Seattle SuperSonics forward Kevin Durant has been the heavy favorite all season for Rookie of the Year. However, the Los Angeles Clippers' Al Thornton has been making a name for himself recently. Durant and the SuperSonics hope to snap a three-game losing streak when they take on the Clippers on Wednesday. Seattle dropped a 120-107 decision to Sacramento on Sunday for its 14th loss in its last 15 games. Durant scored 25 points - the 39th time the rookie out of Texas has tallied 20-plus points this season. The 19-year-old is also averaging 20.0 points in the two games the Clippers and Sonics split earlier this season. Overall, Durant is averaging 19.9 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 42.5 percent from the field. Los Angeles, which has lost 11 of 12, suffered a 93-86 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Corey Maggette scored 23 points and Thornton had a team-high 26 along with seven rebounds. It was the third time in four games the 6-8, 220-pound Thornton has scored over 20 points - including a 39-point effort against the Memphis Grizzlies last Saturday. Thornton played less than 15 minutes in the two previous games against Seattle, averaging just five points.


Portland (38-36) at LA Lakers (50-24), 7:30 pm, FSN
LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - The Portland Trail Blazers have stated their goal this season is to reach the .500 mark - a level the Los Angeles Lakers will have to play above if they hope to secure the top spot in the Western Conference. With center Pau Gasol expected to play for the first time in 10 games, the Lakers go for their second straight win when they meet the Blazers on Tuesday. The Lakers, 5-4 in nine games without Gasol (ankle), are 1 1/2 games behind New Orleans (51-22) and San Antonio (52-23) in the Western Conference race. On Sunday, they snapped a two-game losing streak, outlasting the Washington Wizards in overtime, 126-120. Kobe Bryant scored 26 points and dished a season-high 13 assists for the Lakers, who also snapped a three-game home losing streak. Meanwhile, with Portland all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason, the Blazers want nothing more than to reach 41 wins - a number that would guarantee a nine-game improvement the 32-50 mark from a season ago. The Blazers are in 10th place in the West, 7 1/2 games behind eighth-place Denver (46-29). Portland continues to be without standout Brandon Roy, who suffered a groin injury last week. The All-Star guard is expected to miss at least two more games and could be shut down for the season once the team is eliminated from playoff contention.