Game Thread 2025-26 GAME #43 - BLAZERS VS LAKERS - JANUARY 17, 2026 - SATURDAY - 7:00 PM - KUNP - BLAZERVISION

[Everything Beagle]

Light ‘em up Hansen’s out!

 

[Cugel]

Light ‘em up Hansen’s out!

the human cigar

 

[blazerkor]

Nice to have a relaxed ending to a win. Great game from everyone tonight.

 

[42N8Bounce]

Solid win. Only one game back from 500.

 

[42N8Bounce]

And another good game for Love.



Something clicked for Love over the last 14 games. You don't have to squint too hard at that graph to see that trend line on the rise. Amazing.

 

[Cugel]

Love with another very good showing

 

[Everything Beagle]

From the r/nba post game thread:

 

[B-Roy]

And another good game for Love.

View attachment 79838

Something clicked for Love over the last 14 games. You don't have to squint too hard at that graph to see that trend line on the rise. Amazing.

I’m gonna say something uncomfortable.

When Scoot comes back, does he need to earn playing time over Caleb? Honestly hard to think Scoot could play well enough to supplant what Caleb is doing for us right now.

 

[TYDame]

Who actually here hate Caleb Love when we picked him as a 2 way player? I read once they called him a chucker

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Who actually here hate Caleb Love when we picked him as a 2 way player? I read once they called him a chucker

He was inefficient early on with questionable decision making. He's obviously improved significantly. As has Sidy.

 

[Everything Beagle]

I’m gonna say something uncomfortable.

When Scoot comes back, does he need to earn playing time over Caleb? Honestly hard to think Scoot could play well enough to supplant what Caleb is doing for us right now.

Honestly? I can’t see a show-me coach like Tiago giving Scoot anything he hasn’t earned. Yeah, he’s going to have to earn it, and I’m not sure he will. Hell, at this point I’m not sure he can.

Love is already giving the team what I expected from a post-achilles Dame. We need to keep Sidy and Caleb. The chemistry is too good out there.

 

[BlazerBeav]

That was fun! Sure would like to get to .500 tomorrow. I'm assuming they'll hold out Deni, with 3 days off until the next game. Hopefully after only playing 20 minutes tonight, both Holiday and Grant can play. Rob will obviously not.

 

[SwissBlazer]

How many games will we win according to @THE HCP ? I was an optimist before the season and even these results surprise me.

 

[blazerfan11]

I’m gonna say something uncomfortable.

When Scoot comes back, does he need to earn playing time over Caleb? Honestly hard to think Scoot could play well enough to supplant what Caleb is doing for us right now.

Last season Scoot had a 2-month stretch (January and February) where he led the team in 3-point percentage at 41%,
and recorded a True Shooting Percentage of 61.3% (over those two months). That's something Caleb Love hasn't done yet this season.

Love's season 3-point % and True Shooting % are improving, but at this point are below what Scoot recorded last season.

Who knows what the future brings, but Scoot certainly has the ability to play better than Love if Scoot is playing well and Love isn't, and because Scoot gets to the free-throw line more often than Love, could even supplant what Love is doing right now.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Loving the 22 FTs in the 1Q,

I doubt if any impartial viewer was. That was some fugly shit.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Who actually here hate Caleb Love when we picked him as a 2 way player? I read once they called him a chucker

He's still a chucker, it's just that they're going in at the moment.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I’m gonna say something uncomfortable.

When Scoot comes back, does he need to earn playing time over Caleb? Honestly hard to think Scoot could play well enough to supplant what Caleb is doing for us right now.

Well, he's going to get plenty of Caleb's minutes when Caleb can't play any more games on account of being a 2-way player.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Who actually here hate Caleb Love when we picked him as a 2 way player? I read once they called him a chucker

I hated his game absolutely ripped on him for being a chucker, I’m raising my hand! He’s really done a nice job and I will be first to admit it.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Well well well winners of 2 out of 3 with best player not playing. Good coaching, good team, good players, weak schedule, others stepping up, maybe Sharpe is able to turn it up a notch when he has no choice but lead. Love what I saw out of him last couple of games, not high volume scoring but under control and confident.

Enjoying the ride this year, sure wish we could see Scoot in action he’s our wildcard. Is he star potential I still believe he has the potential to be and if he does have that talent we are in for a hell of ride!!

 

[Domihatin]

Honestly, after shooting over 20 free throws to their 3, WITHOUT Deni, you can almost expect it. This many FT's is a little much.

Why is it a little much? Lakers are fouling a lot. It happens. They aren't phantom fouls or no calls. Lakers are just fouling recklessly and can't handle our guys without fouling them. I was at the arena and heard all these laughable Lakers fans all around me whining over the fouls and I'm thinking to myself: that's on YOUR team, you morons! Your team can't handle our athletic, strong, driving, lengthy guys and Lakers keep fouling them a ton---that's all they seem to be able to do to stop the Blazers.

And teams like the Lakers are used to getting preferential treatment by the refs and now that the Blazers are playing so well, the refs can't egregiously ignore fouls against them and they are earning a lot of fouls and the Lakers fans are so salty over it. It's hilarious. And delicious. Happened with the Rockets, too.

There were also several key fouls called on the Blazers that were ridiculous because it was LeBron foul baiting or some other Laker flopping.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Every team needs a couple of chuckers.

 

[PDXFonz]

Yeah!!! Luck the Fakers

 

[Everything Beagle]

I doubt if any impartial viewer was. That was some fugly shit.

I feel bad for the refs; they had to pay attention to the Lakers.

 

[kjironman1]

Well we aren’t missing Ayton like HCP insisted but we are missing Deni a lot.

It's bad and only getting worse for the lakers.

The Lakers' Deandre Ayton situation has gone from baffling to infuriating

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Deandre Ayton to be their starting center, but his head-scratching play has forced JJ Redick to bench him multiple times.

lakeshowlife.com

 

[Everything Beagle]

It's bad and only getting worse for the lakers.

The Lakers' Deandre Ayton situation has gone from baffling to infuriating

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Deandre Ayton to be their starting center, but his head-scratching play has forced JJ Redick to bench him multiple times.

lakeshowlife.com

I feel vindicated that, from the first ten minutes I saw him play, I could see he was a soft loser. His ceiling was a mildly depressed LaMarcus Aldridge, and he rarely even achieved that.

 

[kjironman1]

I feel vindicated that, from the first ten minutes I saw him play, I could see he was a soft loser. His ceiling was a mildly depressed LaMarcus Aldridge, and he rarely even achieved that.

He can be a good guy. Nothing seems to speak that he isn't but obviously around the team players grow tired of him. You don't pull that soft stuff around players that are used to winning.

 

[Everything Beagle]

He can be a good guy. Nothing seems to speak that he isn't but obviously around the team players grow tired of him. You don't pull that soft stuff around players that are used to winning.

Or who are used to working hard, even if they aren't winning.

 

[tlongII]

Isn’t this the guy that @THE HCP said we would be better off if he was still on our team?

 

[Everything Beagle]

Isn’t this the guy that @THE HCP said we would be better off if he was still on our team?

You know how he gets when he's talking about Lakers players

 

[blazerfan11]

Isn’t this the guy that @THE HCP said we would be better off if he was still on our team?

"Lakers fans won’t be surprised to know that the team has a negative net rating with him on the floor for the season. They are 1.3 points per 100 possessions better when he’s out of the game, and things are only getting worse. Over his last 15 games, Los Angeles has been outscored by 55 points in Ayton’s 438 minutes."