By MATT BEARDMORE
STATS Writer

San Antonio (2-2) at Portland (2-3), 10:30 p.m. EDT

The Portland Trail Blazers had one of the best home records in
the NBA last season.

It's been a different story for them at the Rose Garden in
2009-10.

The Trail Blazers look to avoid their third straight loss there
Friday night, when they continue their three-game homestand
against a San Antonio Spurs team without a road win.

Portland (2-3) went 34-7 at home in 2008-09 - the fourth-best
mark in the league behind Cleveland, the Lakers and Boston -
while never losing more than two straight at the Rose Garden.

Despite leading by as many as 12 points in the second quarter,
the Trail Blazers dropped their second in a row at home Tuesday
- 97-91 to Atlanta.

"Regardless of where you are, you've got to work," coach Nate
McMillan told the Trail Blazers' official Web site. "I really
felt our level of intensity needed to be better for pretty much
all of the games."

Portland's last three-game slide at home was March 29-April 6,
2008.

The Trail Blazers had lost five straight at home - and 12
overall - to San Antonio, prior to their 100-99 victory on Oct.
31, 2008.

Spurs guard Michael Finley missed a shot as time expired and
Portland won its first home game in this series since Jan. 24,
2005.

"When he missed the shot, I couldn't believe it. I was thinking
overtime or something because it just didn't feel right," guard
Brandon Roy said. "But I looked up and realized that we had
finally beaten the Spurs."

The Trail Blazers won three of four against San Antonio last
season - including both meetings at the Rose Garden - after
losing 19 of the previous 20 matchups.

Roy averaged 23.0 points against the Spurs in 2008-09, scoring
26 in each of the victories.

Center Greg Oden, who leads the Trail Blazers with 9.8 rebounds
and 2.2 blocks, was injured for the first three matchups with
San Antonio last season.

In his first career game against fellow first-overall pick Tim
Duncan, Oden had eight points, eight boards and two blocks in a
95-83 victory on April 8 that snapped Portland's 11-game skid in
San Antonio.

Duncan, averaging 21.4 points and 10.8 boards in 23 career games
in Portland, had 15 and 13 in Thursday's 113-99 loss at Utah
that dropped the Spurs (2-2) to 0-2 on the road.

San Antonio hasn't lost its first three road games since
1993-94.

The Spurs, who held their first three opponents this season to
96 points or fewer, allowed its most points in a loss since a
113-94 defeat at Seattle on Nov. 7, 2004.

"We've got a lot of work to do to become a good defensive team
and Utah obviously took advantage of that tonight," coach Gregg
Popovich said. "They are always an aggressive club and they do a
great job of fighting for 48 minutes."

Tony Parker led San Antonio on Thursday with 21 points, four
coming in the second half. He averaged 19.5 points and 7.5
assists at Portland in 2008-09.

Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and a
season-high 14 rebounds Tuesday, despite leaving Sunday's win at
Oklahoma City with a bone contusion on his right knee.

Aldridge averaged 24.5 points and 6.0 rebounds as Portland swept
its home games versus San Antonio last season for the first time
since 1996-97.

The Trail Blazers are scoring 93.7 points per game on 39.9
percent shooting at the Rose Garden this season.