CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers are hoping a change in venue will provide some mojo in the NBA playoffs, while the Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors look to take commanding 3-1 leads in their first-round series on Saturday.
Behind the revitalized play of Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat swept the first two games from the Hornets games by an average of 22 points – Wade’s scoring average in the series. The series shifts to Charlotte, where the Hornets were 31-10 this season.
Charlotte will be without small forward Nicolas Batum, the team’s second-leading scorer, because of a strained foot. Either Frank Kaminsky or Jeremy Lin will start in Batum’s place.
“Nic is a huge part of what we do,” point guard Kemba Walker said. “But we have been doing it all year – when one guy goes down the next guy steps up.”
The poor-shooting Trail Blazers also find themselves down 2-0 heading back to Portland. The Hornets and Trail Blazers face long odds. Since 2008, only two of 55 teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit to advance in the playoffs.