GAME: Boston Celtics (21-33) at Portland Trail Blazers (18-35).
TIME: Friday, 10 p.m. EST.
LINE: Oddsmakers have not yet released the line for this contest.
The Portland Trail Blazers helped their salary cap situation at the trade deadline, just not as much as they might have liked.
One day after a roster shake-up, which team management may have hoped was bigger, the Trail Blazers try to avoid an eighth loss in nine games when they meet the Boston Celtics.
Looking to dump salary as it looks toward the future, Portland traded away Ruben Patterson, Charles Smith and Sergei Monia while acquiring Brian Skinner and Voshon Lenard in a four-team deal on Thursday. While Skinner and Lenard have expiring contracts, the Blazers saved themselves nearly $8 million for next season by trading Patterson and Monia.
It has long been rumored Portland also wanted to rid itself of the big contracts held by Theo Ratliff and Darius Miles, but the team was unable to find any takers by the trade deadline. Ratliff has two more years and more than $23 million left on his deal, and Miles has four years and $34 million remaining.
Apparently, Patterson knew a deal was imminent. After scoring a season-high 25 points in Portland's 110-106 home loss to Charlotte on Wednesday, Patterson exclaimed to those gathered outside the Blazers' locker room, ''Bang, bang! What a way to go out, hey?''
Patterson, who spent four-plus seasons with Portland, was averaging 11.4 points this season.
''I just want to be happy,'' he said. ''I'm tired of losing, man.''
The Blazers, owners of the worst record in the Western Conference, have lost three straight and seven of eight. They have a 2-8 record this month, getting outscored by an average of 17.4 points in the losses.
''We're trying to get that hustle back,'' coach Nate McMillan said. ''We're the kind of team that has to play perfect basketball to win games, especially to do it without our centers.''
Centers Joel Przybilla (right knee) and Ratliff (left foot) are both sidelined and expected to miss at least another week. Ha Seung-Jin has started the last four games at center, averaging 2.0 points and 3.0 rebounds.
Boston has plenty of its own injury problems.
Guard Wally Szczerbiak is out with a bruised left knee, center Kendrick Perkins has a dislocated left shoulder and forward Al Jefferson is sidelined by a sprained right ankle. It's uncertain when any of them will return.
All three sat out Wednesday as Boston lost 103-94 to Phoenix despite Delonte West's career-high 30 points.
''I was happy, I really was, with the effort,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ''You'd like to come home with the win obviously, but with being with all the injuries, I thought our guys played with great effort tonight.''
Paul Pierce was held to 20 points on 8-of-28 shooting. It was the first time in seven games he failed to score at least 30.
Pierce is averaging 32.4 points this month, tops in the NBA, but the Celtics have gone 3-6. One of those games was a 35-point effort in a 115-83 rout of Portland on Feb. 10.
STANDINGS (through Feb. 22): Celtics - 3rd place, 9 1/2 GB, Atlantic Division. Trail Blazers - 5th place, 10 GB, Northwest Division.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Celtics - F Pierce, F Ryan Gomes, C Raef LaFrentz, G West, G Tony Allen. Trail Blazers - F Miles, F Viktor Khryapa, C Seung-Jin, G Juan Dixon, G Steve Blake.
TEAM LEADERS: Celtics - Pierce, 26.4 ppg, 7 rpg and 4.6 apg. Trail Blazers - Randolph, 18 ppg and 8.6 rpg; Blake, 4.4 apg.
SEASON SERIES: Celtics, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Feb. 10; Celtics, 115-83. At Boston, Szczerbiak scored 21 points and LaFrentz added 18 for the Celtics. Portland's starters combined for 41 points.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Celtics - 5-21 on the road; Trail Blazers - 12-14 at home.