Post by DiamondThief on Nov 24, 2014 21:00:51 GMT -8
Portland Trail Blazers at Charlotte Hornets
What: The Blazers are in the queen city to face the Hornets.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 4 p.m.
Blazers Media: TV - CSNNW; Radio - Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Hornets Media: TV - SportSouth; Radio - WFNZ 610 AM
Previous: Nov. 11 - Blazers 102-100.
Note: The teams split the season series last year, with each team winning by 30 on its home court.
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The Blazers (11-3, 3-2 on the road) are coming off a gritty 114-104 road win over the 76ers on Nov. 24. They are led by LaMarcus Aldridge Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews. The Blazers are averaging 104.4 points per game (sixth in the NBA) and giving up 95.2 seventh). The Hornets (4-11, 3-4 at home) are coming off a 113-92 home loss to the Clippers on Nov. 24. They are lead by Al Jefferson, Lance Stephenson and Kemba Walker. The Hornets are averaging 94.1 points (25th) and giving up 100.3 (17th).
Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge; Hornets' Marvin Williams
Portland Trail Blazers
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 88 Nicolas Batum
PF - 12 LaMarcus Aldridge
C - 42 Robin Lopez
SG - 2 Wesley Matthews
PG - 0 Damian Lillard
RESERVES
G - 5 Will Barton; 25 Steve Blake; 23 Allen Crabbe
F - 18 Victor Claver; 41 Thomas Robinson; 1 Dorell Wright
C - 19 Joel Freeland; 35 Chris Kaman; 11 Meyers Leonard
INJURIES
G - 3 CJ McCollum (finger) - out
HEAD COACH
Terry Stotts
STATISTICAL LEADERS (per game)
Points - LaMarcus Aldridge 22.2
Rebounds - LaMarcus Aldridge 8.8
Assists - Damian Lillard 6.5
Blocks - Robin Lopez 1.6
Steals - Damian Lillard 1.3
FG% - Robin Lopez 56.7
3PT% - Damian Lillard 45.7
FT% - Damian Lillard 95.0
Charlotte Hornets
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 1 Lance Stephenson
PF - 2 Marvin Williams
C - 25 Al Jefferson
SG - 9 Gerald Henderson
PG - 15 Kemba Walker
RESERVES
G - 19 P.J. Hairston; 12 Gary Neal; 5 Jannero Pargo; 22 Brian Roberts
F - 54 Jason Maxiell; Noah Vonleh
C - 8 Bismack Biyombo; 40 Cody Zeller
INJURY REPORT
G - 19 P.J. Hairston (ankle) - probable
G - 12 Gary Neal (shoulder) - doubtful
F - 14 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (foot) - out
F - 44 Jeff Taylor (suspension) - out
HEAD COACH
Steve Clifford
STATISTICAL LEADERS (per game)
Points - Al Jefferson 20.7
Rebounds - Lance Stephenson 8.2
Assists - Lance Stephenson 5.5
Blocks - Al Jefferson 1.1
Steals - Kemba Walker 1.5
FG% - Al Jefferson 20.7
3PT% - Gary Neal 42.9
FT% - Gary Neal 89.1
Angi's Take
The Blazers are on an eight-game win streak and are looking to make it nine, including four on the road. It took a massive comeback by the Blazers to erase the Hornets' 23-point late-third-quarter lead and win by two back on Nov. 11. While they have shown a propensity for second-half comebacks, it's not something to be relied upon, especially on the road. Undoubtedly, the Blazers will still feel the sting of last year's 124-94 loss at Charlotte (though Aldridge did not play), but this is a Blazer team with different aspirations than last year. Aldridge was magnificent in the Blazers' Nov. 11 win over the Hornets, with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Lillard led the Blazers with 29 points. Aldridge led the Blazers Monday night with 33 points and 11 rebounds. Each game it seems there is someone from the Blazers bench who steps up and makes a difference. Against the 76ers it was Freeland, who scored 9 points on 4-5 shooting in the first half and played stringent defense throughout the game. Kaman and Blake have been reliable off the bench over the beginning part of the season. The Hornets' loss at Portland (along with a loss in their previous game to the Lakers) seemed to trigger a downward slope. They have lost six straight and eight of their last nine games. There is talent on the Hornets' roster and most of their offense flows through Jefferson. Stephenson has been a nice addition to the team, but it will miss Kidd-Gilchrist. Batum will likely be tasked with covering Stephenson and should have some success in doing so. Walker seems to have taken a back seat from the other two in the Hornets' offense, but is always a danger to have a big night. The Hornets' bench is young, but guys like Biyombo and Zeller can go off. If Neal is unable to play, it would be a blow since he is their biggest punch off the bench. Neal's layup would have tied the game two weeks ago had it not been after the final buzzer. The Blazers may not need to play their best in order to win, but they will need to play a complete game, limit turnovers and control the glass. They are leading the league as a team in rebounding at 47.1 boards per game. Matchup to watch: Nicolas Batum vs. Lance Stephenson.
Officials
Tom Washington, Sean Corbin, Mitchell Ervin
Quotable
Blazers coach Terry Stotts on his team's win streak: "I think our defense has been the one constant throughout (the winning streak). It's good to know that we have that."
Hornets coach Steve Clifford on his team's struggles: "We can't lose our spirit. To be a good team in this league it takes a lot of things but your best players have to be prideful and hard players. Al and Kemba tonight showed again they're going to fight for this and they're going to try hard to get this turned around."
Featured Tweets
Extra
Blazers coach Terry Stotts celebrated his 57th birthday on Nov. 25.
Match-Up Meme
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Graphic courtesy of David.
