Post by DiamondThief on Mar 14, 2015 10:57:38 GMT -8
Portland Trail Blazers at Toronto Raptors
What: The Blazers make their lone trip north of the border to face the Raptors.
When: Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. (PT).
Blazers Media: TV - CSNNW. Radio - Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Raptors Media: TV - SNN (Canada national). Radio - Sportsnet 590 AM.
Previous: Dec. 30 - Blazers 96, Raptors 97 - OT.
Schedule: N/A.
Note: The Raptors have lost 11 of their last 14 games against Western Conference opponents.
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The Blazers are 43-20, 15-14 on the road and 19-6 in inter-conference games. They are coming off a 118-99 road win over the Pistons on March 13. They are averaging 102.7 points (7th in the NBA) and allowing 97.5 (8th). The Blazers, who have won seven of their last eight, are first in the Northwest Division and third in the Western Conference.
The Raptors are 39-26, 22-11 at home and 12-13 in inter-conference games. They are coming off a 102-92 home win over the Heat on March 13. They are averaging 104.4 points (4th in the NBA) and allowing 101.2 (20th). The Pistons, who have lost eight of their last 10, are first in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference.
Blazers' Damian Lillard; Raptors' Kyle Lowry
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 - 35 Chris Kaman; 11 Meyers Leonard
INJURY REPORT
G - 2 Wesley Matthews (achilles) - out
C - 19 Joel Freeland (suspension) - out
HEAD COACH
Terry Stotts
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points - LaMarcus Aldridge 23.3
Rebounds - LaMarcus Aldridge 10.6
Assists - Damian Lillard 6.2
Blocks - Robin Lopez 1.6
Steals - Damian Lillard 1.4
FG - Meyers Leonard 54.3%
FT - LaMarcus Aldridge 87.0%
3pt - Meyers Leonard 46.8%
TORONTO RAPTORS
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 31 Terrence Ross
PF - 15 Amir Johnson
C - 17 Jonas Valanciunas
SG - 10 DeMar DeRozen
PG - 7 Kyle Lowry
RESERVES
G - 2 Landry Fields; 21 Greivis Vasquez; 23 Louis Williams
F - 5 Bruno Caboclo; 50 Tyler Hansbough; 3 James Johnson; 54 Patrick Patterson
C - 44 Chuck Hayes; 92 Lucas Nogueira; 34 Greg Stiemsma
INJURY REPORT
no injuries reported
HEAD COACH
Dwane Casey
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Pts - DeMar DeRozen 18.9
Reb - Jonas Valanciunas 8.6
Ast - Kyle Lowry 6.9
Blk - two players 1.1
Stl - Kyle Lowry 1.6
FG - James Johnson 59.6%
FT - Lou Williams 86.3%
3pt - Amir Johnson 40.0%
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, roughly 31 games.
ANGI'S TAKE
The Raptors and Blazers each lead their divisions and are holding on to third place in their respective conferences. It took overtime for the Blazers to win at home on Dec. 30; a game in which both teams shot just 40 percent from the field. Lillard led the Blazers with 26 points and 9 assists, while Aldridge had 23 points and 13 rebounds in that match up. Aldridge has registered double-doubles in his last nine games against the Raptors. Lopez pulled down 12 rebounds (7 offensive). The Blazers will need all three to step up. Another solid all-around outing from Batum could go a long way for the Blazers. Afflalo's defense on DeRozen will be important, as well as any offense he can provide. Kaman and Leonard could be major weapons off the bench, as they were against the Pistons. The Raptors are stacked with big men, including Valanciunas, but it's really the backcourt duo of Lowry and DeRozen who steer their ship. Lowry is a bit similar to Lillard in that he is capable of scoring and dishing dimes. He had a team-high 25 points in the first game. DeRozen is a solid scorer who can add rebounds and assists to his statline. James Johnson had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting. Amir Johnson can score on occasion, but is really more of a defender. However, he is no match for Aldridge. Vasquez, who scored 13 points against the Blazers, is a capable backup at the point. The keys to a Blazers win are to control the boards and limit turnovers. Matchup to watch: Damian Lillard vs. Kyle Lowry.
OFFICIALS
Bill Spooner, Courtney Kirkland, Leon Wood.
QUOTABLE
Blazers' Afflalo on the win over the Pistons: "It was real important. This is one of those games where you start looking ahead to a trip and you're facing a team that had been struggling a little bit,"
Raptors' DeRozen on facing the Blazers: "We've just got to keep moving on, look at the positives we did (Friday) and carry them over to the next game."
FEATURED TWEETS
EXTRA
The Blazers' Joel Freeland and the Pistons' Shawne Williams got into a little head-butting match with 1:05 left in the Blazers March 13 win. Each player was ejected and subsequently suspended by the NBA for one game for their head butts. However, Williams did not receive any additional penalty for chest bumping Meyers Leonard at the end of the play which prompted Freeland's response. Freeland, the "British Bulldog," received a very loud ovation for sticking up for his teammate.
MATCH UP MEME
Mike Barrett referred to this during the Broadcast of the Blazers-Pistons' game.
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