Post by SurferGirl on Mar 15, 2015 18:41:14 GMT -8
Portland Trail Blazers at Washington Wizards
What: The Blazers make their lone trip to the nation's capital to battle the Raptors.
When: Monday, March 16 at 4 p.m. (PT).
Blazers Media: TV - CSNNW. Radio - Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Wizards Media: TV - CSN. Radio - WNEW 99.1 FM/WFED.
Previous: Jan. 24 - Blazers 103, Wizards 96.
Schedule: N/A.
Note: This is the second game of the Blazers five-game, seven-day road trip.
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The Blazers are 44-20, 16-14 on the road and 20-6 in interconference games. They are coming off a 113-97 road win over the Raptors on March 15. They are averaging 102.9 points (7th in the NBA) and allowing 97.5 (9th). The Blazers, who have won eight of their last nine, are first in the Northwest Division and third in the Western Conference.
The Wizards are 38-28, 24-10 at home and 13-10 in interconference games. They are coming off a 113-97 home win over the Kings on March 14. They are averaging 98.7 points (18th in the NBA) and allowing 97.3 (8th). The Wizards, who have won four of their last five, are second in the Southeast Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Blazers' Damian Lillard and Nicolas Batum; Wizards' John Wall
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 88 Nicolas Batum (9.6 pts, 5.7 reb, 4.9 ast)
PF - 12 LaMarcus Aldridge (23.3 pts, 10.5 reb, 1.8 ast)
C - 42 Robin Lopez (10.0 pts, 7.0 reb, 1.0 ast)
SG - 4 Arron Afflalo (13.9 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.8 ast)
PG - 0 Damian Lillard (21.4 pts, 4.8 reb, 6.2 ast)
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 10.6
Assists - Damian Lillard 6.2
Blocks - Robin Lopez 1.6
Steals - Damian Lillard 1.3
FG - Meyers Leonard 53.3%
FT - LaMarcus Aldridge 86.6%
3pt - Meyers Leonard 45.7%
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
PROJECTED STARTERS
SF - 34 Paul Pierce (12.8 pts, 4.1 reb, 2.0 ast)
PF - 42 Nene (11.3 pts, 5.0 reb, 2.0 ast)
C - 4 Marcin Gortat (12.1 pts, 8.7 reb, 1.1 ast)
SG - 3 Bradley Beal (14.7 pts, 3.9 reb, 3.1 ast)
PG - 2 John Wall (17.2 pts, 4.5 reb, 10.0 ast)
RESERVES
G - 7 Ramon Sessions; 9 Martell Webster
F - 45 Dejuan Blair; 8 Rasual Butler; 90 Drew Gooden; 43 Kris Humphries; Toure Murry; 22 Otto Porter
C - 13 Kevin Seraphin
INJURIES
G - 17 Garrett Temple (hamstring) - out
F - 43 Kris Humphries (groin) - questionable
HEAD COACH
Randy Wittman
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points - John Wall 17.2
Rebounds - Marcin Gortat 8.7
Assists - John Wall 10.0
Blocks - Marcin Gortat 1.3
Steals - John Wall 1.8
FG - Marcin Gortat 55.7%
FT - Rasual Butler 81.1%
3pt - Bradley Beal 40.8%
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 32 games, as well as other basic statistical minimums.
JULIANNE'S TAKE
The Blazers look to sweep the season series over the Wizards. For the Blazers, Aldridge had his 10th straight double-double against the Raptors and has been consistent all season. Lillard and Wall, featuring the former rookies of the year, is the marquee match up here. Batum's all-around game has been key in the latest Blazers surge. Afflalo is looking more comfortable with the starting unit. Lopez will be key against Gortat in a battle of former teammates. Kaman has been solid as of late and Blake has both shot and passed the ball well this month. Leonard, Wright and McCollum also profide the punch off the Blazers bench. The Wizards are lead by Wall, who is a good scorer and among the league leaders in assists. Beal is a solid shooting guard who averages 14.7. Gortat and Nene are both capable of scoring inside and pulling down rebounds. Pierce is the veteran presence and still has a little left in his tank. Butler, Seraphin and Sessions lead a bench which is comprised of a nice mix of youth and experience. The Blazers need to win the rebounding edge and limit their turnovers to secure a win. Matchup to watch: Damian Lillard vs. John Wall.
OFFICIALS
John Goble, Tony Brown, Nick Buchert.
QUOTABLE
Blazers' Aldridge: "We're peaking at the right time. You want to peak toward the end of the season and right now we're peaking at the right time."
Raptors' Wall: "I think it all started with me. I didn't have no legs or the energy after the All-Star break. And the way I play (is) the way this team goes. I'm kind of the leader of it.
FEATURED TWEETS
EXTRA
Throwback Fropez: In this photo from what I believe to be Robin Lopez's San Joaquin Memorial High School team (Fresno, CA), we can see Fropez as a sophomore on the bottom right (highlighted in red). Also on the team were a couple of other future NBA players; his brother, Brook of the Nets, and Quincy Pondexter of the Pelicans (Photo courtesy of Robin Lopez twitter page).
MATCH UP MEME
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Graphic courtesy of David.