Post by DiamondThief on Jan 15, 2015 23:11:57 GMT -8
Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs
What: Portland makes its second and final appearance of the season in San Antonio.
When: Friday, Jan. 16 at 5:30 p.m. (pacific).
Blazers Media: TV - CSNNW; Radio - Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Spurs Media: TV - FSSW - WOAI 1200AM.
Note: If the playoffs began today, these teams would meet in the first round.
Previous: Dec. 15 - Blazers 108, Spurs 95. Dec. 19 - Blazers 129, Spurs 119 (3OT).
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The Blazers (30-9, 12-5 on the road) are coming off a 100-94 road loss to the Clippers on Jan. 14. They are led by LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews. The Blazers are averaging 103.6 points (6th in the NBA) and giving up 96.5 points (1st). The Spurs (24-16, 13-6 at home) are coming off a 98-93 road over the Hornets Jan. 14. They are lead by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. The Spurs are averaging 101.9 points (12th) and giving up 98.3 points (11th).
Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge; Spurs' Boris Diaw
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 88 Nicolas Batum
PF - 12 LaMarcus Aldridge
C - 35 Chris Kaman
SG - 2 Wesley Matthews
PG - 0 Damian Lillard
RESERVES
G - 5 Will Barton; 25 Steve Blake; 23 Allen Crabbe; 3 CJ McCollum
F - 18 Victor Claver; 41 Thomas Robinson; 1 Dorell Wright
C - 11 Meyers Leonard
INJURIES
G - 2 Wesley Matthews (ribs) - probable
C - 19 Joel Freeland (shoulder) - out
C - 42 Robin Lopez (hand) - out
HEAD COACH
Terry Stotts
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Pts - LaMarcus Aldridge 23.3
Reb - LaMarcus Aldridge 10.5
Ast - Damian Lillard 6.2
Blk - Robin Lopez 1.5
Stl - Damian Lillard 1.4
FG - Chris Kaman 49.4%
FT - Damian Lillard 86.3%
3pt - Wesley Matthews 40.1%
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 2 Kawhi Leonard
PF - 21 Tim Duncan
C - 22 Tiago Splitter
SG -14 Danny Green
PG - 9 Tony Parker
RESERVES
G - 20 Manu Ginobli; 5 Cory Joseph; 8 Patty Mills
F - 1 Kyle Anderson; 11 Jeff Ayers; Marco Belinelli; 15 Matt Bonner; 22 Austin Daye
C - 16 Aron Baynes; 33 Boris Diaw; 22 Tiago Splitter
INJURY REPORT
G - 3 Marco Belinelli (groin) - out
F - 2 Kawhi Leonard (hand) - probably
HEAD COACH
Gregg Popovich
STATISTICAL LEADERS (per game)
Points - Kawhi Leonard 15.2
Rebounds - Tim Duncan 10.3
Assists - Manu Ginobli 4.9
Blocks - Tim Duncan 2.0
Steals - Kawhi Leonard 2.0
FG - Cory Joseph 52.8%
FT - Kawhi Leonard 77.8%
3pt - Danny Green 39.9%
ANGI'S TAKE
It was the Lillard and Aldridge show in the team's last meeting at the AT&T Center. Lillard scored 16 of his game- and career-high 43 points after regulation as the Blazers grabbed a 129-119 win in triple overtime. Aldridge had 32 points and 16 points in the contest. Five Blazers scored in double figures. Matthews, who was rushed to the hospital on Jan. 15 sore ribs, is expected to play. Kaman will likely get the start in the middle and could be effective against Bonner. The bench will have to step up, as the depth could be an issue for them in the game. Leonard has scored in double figures in four of the past five games and had a double-double against the Clippers on Jan. 14, Blake and Crabbe will be tasked to pick up the slack while the starters get some rest. The defending champion Spurs are as complete a team that you're going to find. They have struggled at times this season, but can never be counted out. Duncan registered 32 points and 10 rebounds in the Dec. 19 loss to the Blazers. Ginobli scored 27 points in the team's win over the Hornets on Jan. 14. Parker, who missed the previous two match ups, will be playing in his sixth game since returning from injury. Kawhi Leonard's status is uncertain, though he is unlikely to play. Danny Green is a three-point threat. Former Blazer Patty Mills has found a home with the Spurs as a solid contributor off the bench. Diaw and Splitter could start for this team. For the Blazers to win, they will have to take care of the ball and win the battle on the boards. Matchup to watch: LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Tim Duncan.
OFFICIALS
Jason Phillips, Matt Boland, Kevin Scott.
QUOTABLE
Blazers coach Terry Stotts on the second half schedule: "We're almost halfway through (the season). We're going to be playing more Western Conference teams that are kind of in the playoff hunt in the second half of the season. So there are going to be more and more of these type of games going forward."
Spurs guard Manu Ginobli on the team's season: "Nothing seems to be easy for us this year. We are playing a lot of close games. But we are learning from it."
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