Gentry Dismisses Portland’s Slump

Don’t expect the Clippers to be fooled into thinking that Portland is on a decline heading into tonight’s game at the Rose Garden. Instead of looking at the Trail Blazers’ 10-9 record since the all-star break, the Clippers have paid more attention to their last two games, impressive road victories at Utah and Dallas.

“I’m not down on them,” Coach Alvin Gentry said about the Trail Blazers on Sunday after the Clippers’ practice at Nike’s main headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. “I don’t care how much turmoil they are supposed to be having, you have to be a heck of a team to win games like that. They have so many guys who they can run out there, that makes them so tough . . . And I think they can line up right now and beat any team in the league in a playoff series.”

Despite going 4-6 over their last 10 games, the Trail Blazers still are in the hunt for the Pacific Division title and gaining the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. For Portland, it’s just a matter of going on a streak heading into the playoffs.

“When you have a team like Utah, which always has a tight system to play with, you know what to expect from them,” power forward Cherokee Parks said. “But a team like Portland has so much talent . . . a lot of the Trail Blazers’ game is to just go out and play. And when you do that, sometimes, you just get into a funk and it’s contagious. That’s what happens to teams which just rely on athleticism.

“Portland relies so much on timing and feel. If Damon [Stoudamire] is driving and Rasheed [Wallace] is hitting his shots and everyone else is doing their thing, they are difficult to stop.”

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One of Portland’s most consistent players this season has been shooting guard Bonzi Wells, who made his first career start in December and has been in the starting lineup since.

Wells is averaging 12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.28 steals, and is second in the NBA in field goal percentage at 53.4%.

“He’s had a great year and has been a little overshadowed because of the expectations of the team,” Gentry said. “He’s proven to everybody that he’s going to be a great player in this league for a lot of years.”

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Lamar Odom became the Clippers’ all-time leader in triple-doubles when he recorded his fifth in a victory over the Houston Rockets last week. Odom also is the only player in the league who leads his team in scoring (17.1 points), rebounding (7.7), blocks (1.8), steals (1.0) and minutes (37.2). The Clippers are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Odom in the lineup.

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Since being signed as a free agent by Portland on March 5, veteran point guard Rod Strickland is averaging 6.3 points, 3.6 assists and 17.2 minutes in nine games. . . . Former Clipper guard Gary Grant, waived by Portland when Strickland was signed, has stayed with the Trail Blazers as a volunteer coach.

TONIGHT

at Portland, 7

Fox Sports Net 2

* Site--Rose Garden.

* Radio--KXTA (1150).

* Records--Clippers 25-45, Trail Blazers 45-24.

* Record vs. Trail Blazers--2-1.

* Update--Since Donald Sterling took over as owner in 1981, the Clippers haven’t won a season series against Portland. With a victory tonight, the Clippers will have won three of four games against the Trail Blazers this season.