Game Thread GAME# 15: BLAZERS @ LAKERS - NOVEMBER 22, 2015 - SUNDAY, 6:30 PM (PST), CSNNW

[Darkwebs]

2015-16 Regular Season Record
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
5 - 9 (2-6 Road)
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
2 - 10 (1-4 Home)



_____________________________
---------PROBABLE STARTERS---------


PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

DAMIAN LILLARD (PG) , C.J. McCOLLUM (SG)

AL-FAROUQ AMINU (SF) , NOAH VONLEH (PF)

MASON PLUMLEE (C)



LOS ANGELES LAKERS

D'ANGELO RUSSELL (PG) , JORDAN CLARKSON (SG)

KOBE BRYANT (SF) , JULIUS RANDLE (PF)

ROY HIBBERT (C)




------------------------------------------------------




WHEN: 6:30 PM, SUNDAY, 11/22/2015

WHERE: STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CA

TV BROADCAST:

RADIO BROADCAST:

​

------------------------------------------------------



--------------BENCH--------------
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

FRAZIER , HENDERSON , CRABBE , HARKLESS

CONNAUGHTON , ALEXANDER , DAVIS , KAMAN

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

HUERTAS , WILLIAMS , YOUNG , WORLD PEACE

NANCE JR. , BASS , KELLY , BLACK



INJURIES
TRAIL BLAZERS
Meyers Leonard (left shoulder dislocation): OUT
LAKERS
Julius Randle (sore big toe, left foot): PROBABLE





HEAD COACHES

- VS –

TERRY STOTTS --- BYRON SCOTT




LAKERS' OFFICIAL GAME NOTES
BLAZERS' OFFICIAL GAME NOTES ​

• Sunday marks the first of three matchups between the Trail Blazers and Lakers in 2015-16.

• Portland won all four of its games against the Lakers last season, marking the team’s first sweep over LAL in 20 seasons (1993-94).

• 2014-15 marked the Trail Blazers’ fi rst regular season series victory over the L.A. Lakers since 2009-10.

• Portland has won four consecutive games against the Lakers in Los Angeles, after posting a 5-25 record at LAL from 1997-98 to 2012-13.

• Portland is 6-2 against the Lakers over the past two seasons after going 3-8 versus Los Angeles from 2010-11 to 2012-13.

• Portland held the Lakers to 77 points in its most recent game against the Lakers on April 3, marking LAL’s lowest point total against the Trail Blazers in franchise history.

• Damian Lillard averaged 27.0 points per game against the Lakers last season, his highest total against any Western Conference opponent in 2014-15 (2nd in NBA).

• Damian Lillard has scored at least 30 points in three of his past five games against the Lakers. Lillard, who has produced double-digit scoring in each of his 11 career contests against the Lakers, has made at least four three-pointers in six of those games.

• Damian Lillard is shooting 45.7% from the field in his career against the Lakers, including a 41.0% effort from beyond the arc.

• The Lakers are shooting 32.6% from beyond the arc this season (20th in NBA), while the Trail Blazers are limiting their opponents to 31.9% from three (seventh in NBA). Los Angeles has made 10 or more threes once in the past nine games.
.
• Ed Davis notched career-highs of 8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 79 games (24 starts) with the Lakers in 2014-15.


• HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY:
ALL TIME: Lakers lead, 118-95
IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 64-42
AT THE LAKERS: Lakers lead, 76-31

​

 

[riverman]

Go Blazers!!! Let's get our first blowout of the season!

 

[Draco]

Haha like the tank photo.

I think we probably stick with Vonleh starting and Kaman outside the rotation.

I hope Kobe plays, he's far below replacement level so it gives us a better chance to win.

My preseason projection had us winning the PHX, DET, @DEN games but losing the @UTH, MEM, LAC games so we are dead on pace for 32 wins.

Lakers have some ball hog gunners who can get hot; so we need to contest outside shots and not give up anything easy. On offense have patience and work for good shots. Don't jack up mediocre shots early in the clock. The Lakers defense is terrible so if we play solid fundamentals and bring a strong effort it should be a comfortable win.

I'll always enjoy beating the Lakers.

Go Blazers!

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Poll needs to have 'hell fucking NO' as a choice.

 

[jlprk]

Pretending to chase Hibbert...Olshey's a genius!

 

[Chris Craig]

Wait Kobes not retired yet?

 

[Chris Craig]

Go Blazers Beat the Fakers

 

[PHXBlazer1]

This Lakers team is horrible

 

[Strenuus]

hahahaha that tank photo is genius!!

 

[kjironman1]

Finally got a day off to put some thoughts on here. It's the Lakers vs the Blazers and we all want to see them sweep these guys again this year. In order to do that you got to get the first one. Sure the Lakers are a mess. they have not only lost 2 straight but 8 of 10 this month. Kobe does not look good at all and the Russel/Clarkson back court has struggled to score. They are still trying to mesh. Roy Hibbert has looked a bit out of sync and his numbers are also down. It just does not seem to look as though this team is using him correctly. Maybe some of the rumors about his work ethic are true? The combination of Portland's Back court and the mobility of Plumlee with Davis might give them fits.

For all the "Homers" out there there is a very optimistic way to look at the seven game losing streak. Only one of those games were the Blazers beat soundly from start to finish. That was the Spurs in SA. The other 6 losses were all within reach and the Blazers have never quit in a game. This team is full of pride and working hard all the time. They will continue to learn and grow as a team. That will lead to more wins eventually. There is also a huge light at the end of the Free Throw tunnel.

For all the "Negs" out there this team has had huge leads and just blew them. they turn the ball over at a rate i have not seen from a Blazer team in years. They look to have Pressure breakdowns at the worst time (When the pressure mounts). The Meyers Leonard injury and Lillard's balky thumb came at a bad time. It shows they are very dependent on a couple players and one of them isn't all that experienced. The learning curve has been hard to watch. Back to the good news is that these are all problems to be expected from a young team that has a nucleus that has not played a season together. When the Blazers play teams like the Clippers you can just see times where the other team is just more fluid or tight knit. The Blazers might get better but it will not be before the 40 game mark that you will really be able to look back and say " Hey...They couldn't do that 3 months ago."

Plumlee has not only showed he has improved on FT's but he is also showing a new "Sky Hook" move that pretty much cannot be guarded. Miles is becoming a threat to score down low and from a couple post moves. I expect him to have a solid game tonight against Hibbert.

If Randle plays then the Blazers need to deal with that matchup vs Vonleh. Noah could very likely be in for a tough night. I would expect to see some switching up and maybe even jumping to Davis early. Aminu could also help out. Just depends on how the guard play is going. If the McCollum is lighting them up then look to see the Blazers stay small. But if they need help on the boards then they got to get some put backs and second chances.

I have stayed away from "Picks" so far this year because i just did not know the team well enough. I also didn't want to look like a total droll picking Lillard every time like whomever picks first between Mike, Mike, Micheal or Adam. I'm going to go with Miles Plumlee tonight. He might not lead the team in scoring but he will get his boards and i am betting on a double double with around 4 ast.

Go Blazers!

Kjironman is a fan!!!

P.S. You might see a little World Peas making a difference tonight. He always seems to bring back the Artest days against the Blazers.

 

[kjironman1]

The Tank photo is nice but for some reason i seem to be looking a little harder at the Laker tank????
Just sayin.....

 

[illmatic99]

Yes I'll miss beating Kobe in POR.

 

[Draco]

Finally got a day off to put some thoughts on here. It's the Lakers vs the Blazers and we all want to see them sweep these guys again this year. In order to do that you got to get the first one. Sure the Lakers are a mess. they have not only lost 2 straight but 8 of 10 this month. Kobe does not look good at all and the Russel/Clarkson back court has struggled to score. They are still trying to mesh. Roy Hibbert has looked a bit out of sync and his numbers are also down. It just does not seem to look as though this team is using him correctly. Maybe some of the rumors about his work ethic are true? The combination of Portland's Back court and the mobility of Plumlee with Davis might give them fits.

For all the "Homers" out there there is a very optimistic way to look at the seven game losing streak. Only one of those games were the Blazers beat soundly from start to finish. That was the Spurs in SA. The other 6 losses were all within reach and the Blazers have never quit in a game. This team is full of pride and working hard all the time. They will continue to learn and grow as a team. That will lead to more wins eventually. There is also a huge light at the end of the Free Throw tunnel.

For all the "Negs" out there this team has had huge leads and just blew them. they turn the ball over at a rate i have not seen from a Blazer team in years. They look to have Pressure breakdowns at the worst time (When the pressure mounts). The Meyers Leonard injury and Lillard's balky thumb came at a bad time. It shows they are very dependent on a couple players and one of them isn't all that experienced. The learning curve has been hard to watch. Back to the good news is that these are all problems to be expected from a young team that has a nucleus that has not played a season together. When the Blazers play teams like the Clippers you can just see times where the other team is just more fluid or tight knit. The Blazers might get better but it will not be before the 40 game mark that you will really be able to look back and say " Hey...They couldn't do that 3 months ago."

Plumlee has not only showed he has improved on FT's but he is also showing a new "Sky Hook" move that pretty much cannot be guarded. Miles is becoming a threat to score down low and from a couple post moves. I expect him to have a solid game tonight against Hibbert.

If Randle plays then the Blazers need to deal with that matchup vs Vonleh. Noah could very likely be in for a tough night. I would expect to see some switching up and maybe even jumping to Davis early. Aminu could also help out. Just depends on how the guard play is going. If the McCollum is lighting them up then look to see the Blazers stay small. But if they need help on the boards then they got to get some put backs and second chances.

I have stayed away from "Picks" so far this year because i just did not know the team well enough. I also didn't want to look like a total droll picking Lillard every time like whomever picks first between Mike, Mike, Micheal or Adam. I'm going to go with Miles Plumlee tonight. He might not lead the team in scoring but he will get his boards and i am betting on a double double with around 4 ast.

Go Blazers!

Kjironman is a fan!!!

P.S. You might see a little World Peas making a difference tonight. He always seems to bring back the Artest days against the Blazers.

Enjoy these write ups.

I didn't realize we have both Plumlees now! Sweet.

 

[Scalma]

Start Ed Davis at PF against his old team.

Vonleh and Alexander the second unit. It works against the Lakers because their backups are bass and black. At least I think.

 

[SpamKing]

[QUOTE="I hope Kobe plays, he's far below replacement level so it gives us a better chance to win."/QUOTE]

"Bryant was at the Lakers’ practice facility to receive treatment. Scott said Bryant will play Sunday against Portland at Staples Center." http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bryant-693315-game-minutes.html

I really hope he's playing here on Saturday night; I have my tix listed at 3X my cost . . .

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[blue9]

Man, if ever there were a "must lose" game, this is it!

 

[PDXFonz]

Man, if ever there were a "must lose" game, this is it!

I was thinking about this, but I'm not sure we could out tank the Lakers if we tried. So we might as well win this game and show everyone how bad the Lakers are.

 

[riverman]

I want a blowout win..its the Lakers..I can't help it

 

[RipCityDSCPL]

Man, if ever there were a "must win" game, this is it!

FTFY

 

[kjironman1]

Enjoy these write ups.

I didn't realize we have both Plumlees now! Sweet.

Just went a little goofy on that one.

 

[EGame]

Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!

 

[Orion Bailey]

I would like to address and clarify my answer to the poll question. I am in the minority of will miss Kobe. I wont miss him because of anything regarding the Lakers though, and I felt the need as a Blazers fan to make this point. lol. I will only miss him because as an NBA fan, I like watching great players create eras of basketball and Kobe to me signifies the last piece and the end of an era of greatness.. and as an NBA fan, I will miss him for that.

This question and my answer also led me to thinking... are there as many great players in today's era vs eras of past? I think Kobe's era was shallow than others, alot due career stunting or ending injuries to players like tracy McGrady, Anfernee Hardaway, Vince Carter, etc.

But today.. with Curry, and LBJ and Melo and Harden, Durant, Westbrook, etc. are we as deep in superstars as the Jordan era before Shaq and Kobe?

 

[BBert]

FINISH THEM!!!

 

[DaLincolnJones]

I want this one, always against LA

 

[Darkwebs]

The Tank photo is nice but for some reason i seem to be looking a little harder at the Laker tank????
Just sayin.....

 

[Jade Falcon]

Fucking Lakers broadcast. Why can't I get Blazers Broadcast?

 

[Darkwebs]

Splashing a 3 is Dame to start the game!

 

[EGame]

Wheres Tunchi at?

 

[DaLincolnJones]

man..I love this team..reminds me of the 80s teams..