Magic vs. Trail Blazers: Long homestand begins as Portland visits

The Orlando Magic return to the friendly confines of Amway Center on Friday night to host the Portland Trail Blazers. The tilt marks the opening of a five-game homestand for sliding Orlando, which has lost six straight games.

Tipoff between Orlando and Portland is set for 7:00 PM Eastern. Fox Sports Florida and ESPN 580 AM will offer live coverage in the Orlando market.

Orlando's last time out: Orlando rallied in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks, but still fell by a 107-102 final. Elfrid Payton tallied the first triple-double of his young career, posting 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. But it was Dirk Nowitzki who stole the show: the future Hall-of-Famer shot 5-of-6 from downtown for a game-high 25 points. The Mavs led by as much as 22 points before Orlando got its act together.

Portland's last time out: The Blazers dropped their second straight game Wednesday night against the Miami Heat, 108-104, in South Beach. Portland held a narrow lead until Dwyane Wade popped off in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his team-best 32 points. LaMarcus Aldridge paced Portland with 34 points and added 12 boards.

The last meeting: The Blazers jumped out to a 26-13 lead over Orlando on January 10th, only to watch as Orlando worked its way back to within two points after three quarters. That's when Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews went to work, combining for 18 points to key a Portland rally which sealed a 103-92 victory. Nik Vučević posted 34 points and 16 boards in defeat.

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