Post by DiamondThief on Mar 7, 2015 9:43:04 GMT -8
Portland Trail Blazers at Minnesota Timberwolves
What: The Blazers make their final trip to the land of 10,000 lakes to battle the Timberwolves.
When: Saturday, March 7 at 5 p.m. (PT).
Blazers Media: TV - CSNNW. Radio - Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Timberwolves Media: TV FS North. Radio - 830 WCCO.
Previous: Nov. 30 - Blazers 107, Timberwolves 93. Dec. 10 - Timbervolves 90, Blazers 82.
Schedule: April 8 - Timberwolves at Blazers.
Note: This will be Kevin Garnett's first game against the Blazers in a 'Wolves jersey since the 2006-07 season. The 20-year veteran, spent the first 12 seasons of his career in Minnesota before moving on to stints with the Celtics and Nets. He was traded to the Timberwolves at the NBA's trade deadline (Feb. 19) this season.
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The Blazers are 41-19, 15-13 on the road and 8-2 in division games. They are coming off a 94-75 home win over the Mavericks on May 5. They are averaging 102.2 points (8th in the NBA) and allowing 97.0 (8th). The Blazers, who have won five straight and nine of their last 12, are first in the Northwest Division and third in the Western Conference.
The Timberwolves are 13-47, 8-24 at home and 2-8 in divisional games. They are coming off a 100-85 home loss to the Nuggets on March 4. They are scoring 97.6 (18th in the NBA) and allowing 105.5 (27th). The Timberwolves, who have lost four straight and seven of their last nine, are fifth in the Northwest Division and 15th in the Western Conference.
Blazers' Steve Blake; Timberwolves' Anthony Wiggins
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 88 Nicolas Batum
PF - 12 LaMarcus Aldridge
C - 42 Robin Lopez
SG - 4 Arron Afflalo
PG - 0 Damian Lillard
RESERVES
G - 5 Steve Blake; 23 Allen Crabbe; 3 CJ McCollum
F - 33 Alonzo Gee; 1 Dorell Wright
C - 19 Joel Freeland; 35 Chris Kaman; 11 Meyers Leonard
INJURY REPORT
G - 2 Wesley Matthews (achilles) - out
HEAD COACH
Terry Stotts
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points - LaMarcus Aldridge 23.3
Rebounds - LaMarcus Aldridge 10.5
Assists - Damian Lillard 6.1
Blocks - Robin Lopez 1.5
Steals - Damian Lillard 1.4
FG - Meyers Leonard 52.3%
FT - LaMarcus Aldridge 86.7%
3pt - Wesley Matthews 38.9%
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 22 Andrew Wiggins
PF - 21 Kevin Garnett
C - 14 Nikola Pekovic
SG - 23 Kevin Martin
PG - 9 Ricky Rubio
RESERVES
G - 7 Lorenzo Brown; 8 Zach LaVine; 12 Gary Neal
F - 10 Chase Budinger; 3 Adreian Payne
C - 5 Gorgui Dieng; 41 Justin Hamilton
INJURY REPORT
G - 12 Gary Neal (hand) - probable
F - 24 Anthony Bennett (leg) - out
F - 4 Robbie Hummel (hand) - out
F - 15 Shabazz Muhammad (finger) - out
C - 14 Nikola Pekovic (ankle) - probable
HEAD COACH
Flip Saunders
STATISTICAL LEADERS (per game)
Points - Andrew Wiggins 15.9
Rebounds - Gorgui Dieng 8.6
Assists - Ricky Rubio 8.7
Blocks - Gorgui Dieng 1.6
Steals - Ricky Rubio 1.8
FG - Gorgui Dieng 49.3%
FT - Gary Neal 87.1%
3pt - Shabazz Muhammad 39.2%
NOTE: We use a different standard than the NBA for the individual statistical leaders. Our leaders apply to players who have played at least half their teams' games this season; in this case, 30 games.
ANGI'S TAKE
The Blazers could be reeling from losing Matthews for the season. Afflalo is the next man up and can provide energetic defense and is a multi-faceted offensive player. The Timberwolves have welcomed back Garnett, primarily for mentorship. He does have experience and will contribute in spot areas. For the Blazers, Lillard is averaging 20 points and 6.5 assists against the Timberwolves this season. Aldridge led the Blazers with 26 points and 15 rebounds in the Blazers Nov. 30 win, but followed that up with just 12 and 9 in the Dec. 10 road loss. Defensively, Garnett should not be much of a match for him. Batum has put together solid numbers in three of the past four games and is averaging 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds over that span. Lopez could be a key in the middle as he battles Pekovic. Whether Stotts starts Afflalo or another Blazer in Matthews' place, Afflalo will see the bulk of the minutes at shooting guard. Don't be surprised to see a combination of Gee, Wright and McCollum pick up some of those minutes as well. The Timberwolves' Wiggins is the reigning Western Conference Rookie of the Month. He had 23 points and 6 assists in their Dec. 10 win over the Blazers and is coming off a 20-point outing against the Nuggets on March 4. Muhammad's 28 points led all scorers in the Nov. 30 loss. Rubio, who has not seen action against the Blazers this year, is quick at the point and is an adept passer. Pekovic also has not played against the Blazers, but anchors the defense inside. Dieng is averaging 9.5 rebounds against the Blazers this season. Neal and Lavine provide scoring off the bench, but each can be inconsistent. In order for the Blazers to win, they will have to avoid overlooking the Timberwolves, while working on developing chemistry with Afflalo in the starting unit. They also need to limit their turnovers and win the rebounding battle. Matchup to watch: Robin Lopez vs. Nikola Pekovic.
OFFICIALS
Zach Zarba, Sean Corbin, Eric Dalen.
QUOTABLE
Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge on losing Wesley Matthews for the season: “He’s the heart and soul of this team. He means a lot to this team. I’ve played with him for seven, eight years now so to not have him out there is going to be tough. He’s a very competitive guy and I don’t see this holding him down at all.”
Timberwolves' Kevin Garnett on his return to Minnesota: "It's perfect. If you have a story, this is a fairy tale. This is a perfect ending to it. This is how you want to do it."
FEATURED TWEETS
EXTRA
LaMarcus Aldridge is closing in on several historic Blazers milestones. Entering this game, he is just 71 rebounds short of the mark for total rebounds. At his average of 10.5 boards per game, he would take over the number one spot in just seven more games.
MATCH UP MEME
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Graphic courtesy of David.
