Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte Hornets: Game preview, prediction, time, TV channel

The moved to five games out of 10th place on Friday night when the Golden State Warriors won 132-108 at the Sacramento Kings. Both teams had been tied for ninth in the Western Conference. The Blazers can draw to within 4½ games of 10th with a win Saturday night at home against the Charlotte Hornets. Both Golden State and Sacramento will be off. What happens with the Kings and Warriors, however, won’t matter if the Blazers can’t defeat Charlotte (14-40). A loss by the Blazers, and it would be time to stop pretending they have a shot at earning a play-in berth. The Hornets have gone 3-10 since losing 102-97 at home to the Blazers on Jan. 24. That night, the Hornets were missing five of their top six scorers, including LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Ball will play Saturday. Miller is out. Charlotte lost 129-115 at Denver on Thursday after winning 100-97 at the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has made it clear that his team is not in a position to overlook any opponent. That’s true. But they also aren’t in a position to lose to a team of Charlotte’s caliber. The Blazers will face former center Jusuf Nurkic, who was traded to the Hornets from Phoenix at the trade deadline. Nurkic scored nine points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at Denver. Prediction: Should the Blazers lose this game, stick a fork in them. Their postseason run would essentially end. How to Watch: Rip City TV Network. If you don’t have cable, you can still watch this game live for FREE with the help of an HDTV antenna on your local ABC affiliate (Charge 2.2 in Portland). These antennas are very easy to install and cost around $20. You can purchase one at your local Bi-Mart or Fred Meyer, or buy one online at Walmart or from Amazon and have it shipped quickly to your home. Here are some instructions on how to set up an HDTV antenna on your television or other display. You can find out more about which channel Rip City TV Network is on in your area by using the channel finder here. Blazers: Deandre Ayton (left calf strain) and Matisse Thybulle (right ankle sprain) are out. Hornets: DaQuan Jeffries (left knee), Tre Mann (back), Brandon Miller (right wrist), Josh Okogie (left hamstring) and Grant Williams (R ACL) are out. The Blazers start a seven-game trip Monday at the Utah Jazz (13-42).