Game Thread GAME# 44: BLAZERS @ HORNETS - JANUARY 18, 2017 - WEDNESDAY, 4:00 PM (PST), CSNNW

[Darkwebs]

2016-17 REGULAR SEASON RECORD
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
18 - 25
(7-16 Road)
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
20 - 21
(12-7 Home)

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

PG

DAMIAN LILLARD VS KEMBA WALKER

SG

C.J. McCOLLUM VS NICOLAS BATUM

SF

MAURICE HARKLESS VS MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST

PF

AL-FAROUQ AMINU VS MARVIN WILLIAMS

C

MASON PLUMLEE VS CODY ZELLER

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




WHEN: 4:00 PM, WEDNESDAY, 1/18/2017

WHERE: SPECTRUM CENTER, CHARLOTTE, NC

TV BROADCAST:

RADIO BROADCAST:

​

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



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

NAPIER , QUARTERMAN , CONNAUGHTON

TURNER , CRABBE , LAYMAN

VONLEH , LEONARD

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

ROBERTS , SESSIONS , BELINELLI

GRAHAM , HARRISON , WOOD

KAMINSKY , HAWES , HIBBERT


INJURIES
TRAIL BLAZERS
Ed Davis (left ankle sprain): OUT
Festus Ezeli (left knee): OUT
HORNETS
Nicolas Batum (hyperextended right knee): PROBABLE
Jeremy Lamb (metatarsal inflammation): OUT



HEAD COACHES

- VS –

TERRY STOTTS --- STEVE CLIFFORD



HORNETS' OFFICIAL GAME NOTES
BLAZERS' OFFICIAL GAME NOTES ​

• Wednesday marks the first of two regular season matchups between the Trail
Blazers and Hornets in 2016-17.

• Portland and Charlotte split the season series, 1-1, in 2015-16 with each team winning its home game.

• The Trail Blazers are 10-3 in their past 13 games against the Hornets since the start of the 2009-10 season (3-3 in Charlotte).

• Damian Lillard has scored 20 or more points in each of his eight career games against Charlotte. Lillard averaged a team-high 22.5 points on 40.9% shooting in two games vs. the Hornets last season.

• Damian Lillard has recorded at least 20 points and five assists in seven of his eight career games against the Hornets (five games with 7+ assists). Lillard has never recorded a double-double vs. Charlotte.

• Allen Crabbe averaged 18.5 points on 57.7% shooting in two games against the Hornets last season. That represents Crabbe’s second-highest scoring average against any opponent in the NBA last season (CLE-20.0 ppg).

• Allen Crabbe has scored 17+ points in each of his past two games vs. Cha.

• Former Trail Blazer Nicolas Batum averaged 18.0 points in his first two career games against Portland last season. Batum scored 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting vs. Portland at home on Nov. 15, before managing just three points on 1-of-11 shooting in his return to the Moda Center on Jan. 29.

• The Trail Blazers have held Charlotte to less than 100 points in two of their past three matchups (both wins). The Hornets enter Wednesday’s contest having scored under the century mark in two straight games (three of past four).

• TEAM RANKS: Charlotte ranks 12th in the league in points allowed (104.0 ppg), and has allowed its opponent to score 100+ points in each of the past eight games. Portland has surpassed 100 points in each of its past seven games.

• CONNECTION: Trail Blazers forward Noah Vonleh averaged 3.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 25 games with Charlotte as a rookie in 2014-15. Vonleh was originally drafted ninth overall by the Hornets in the 2014 NBA Draft.

• CONNECTION: Hornets forward Nicolas Batum spent his first seven NBA seasons with Portland, averaging 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Batum was dealt to Charlotte in exchange for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season.

• HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY:
ALL TIME: Trail Blazers lead, 37-15
IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 20-6
AT THE HORNETS: Trail Blazers lead, 17-9

​

 

[selloutking]

 

[Hobbesarable]

@Darkwebs

Did you rotate the pinwheel on purpose?

 

[Darkwebs]

@Darkwebs

Did you rotate the pinwheel on purpose?

Yup, just for a change-up.

 

[Hobbesarable]

Yup, just for a change-up.

Something our Blazers could use!

 

[gatorpops]

Come on Blzers "right the wheel" or Come on Blzers "'Straighten Up" please

 

[BonesJones]

This is penalty the 1 out of 3 take where they play well.

Harkless needs to consistently help off MKG with the roll man when we blitz/hedge. He needs to be active.

Or we need to put one of the guards on MKG, and double MKG when he posts. Put Aminu on Kemba because Harkless could stick with Williams. The other guard would be on Batum, but we know that that won't be a problem.

 

[BigGameDamian]

Trade happening?

 

[Blazer4ever]

The Hornets playing with both MKG and Batum are an interesting match-up. They're very strong defensively but tend to sometimes stagnate on offense. But they're not an easy match-up, they looked good in many games this year and they're a challenge for the coach in finding the right lineups to expose them. I'm hoping for more playing time for Meyers, I said in a different thread that people are selling him short and that he's a key player for us.
Go Blazers

 

[blue9]

Trade happening?

Fingers crossed!

 

[KingSpeed]

Clippers are about to go on a big losing streak. 7th is in reach. Gotta get back to 8th first though (we are 9th).

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

The Hornets playing with both MKG and Batum are an interesting match-up. They're very strong defensively but tend to sometimes stagnate on offense. But they're not an easy match-up, they looked good in many games this year and they're a challenge for the coach in finding the right lineups to expose them. I'm hoping for more playing time for Meyers, I said in a different thread that people are selling him short and that he's a key player for us.
Go Blazers

We are the cure for stagnant offenses.

 

[TBpup]

Clippers are about to go on a big losing streak. 7th is in reach. Gotta get back to 8th first though (we are 9th).

I fully expect them to decline much like they did before when Paul was out. However, they will have to go into serious free-fall mode for the Blazers to catch them. They are 14 wins ahead of the Blazers now (almost double) so even if they went 10-20 in 8 weeks that Paul is out, Portland would have to go 24-6 in that time just to catch them. That is a big ask of the Blazers who have played under .500 ball almost all season.

 

[Chris Craig]

Yup, just for a change-up.

That'd be bad ass on the players jerseys

 

[Jade Falcon]

My confidence is pretty low that they can win this game. But anything is possible, I suppose. I'll still watch it.

Go Blazers.

 

[trailblazer18]

NBA league pass free preview tonight, nice! I can watch.

 

[KingSpeed]

I fully expect them to decline much like they did before when Paul was out. However, they will have to go into serious free-fall mode for the Blazers to catch them. They are 14 wins ahead of the Blazers now (almost double) so even if they went 10-20 in 8 weeks that Paul is out, Portland would have to go 24-6 in that time just to catch them. That is a big ask of the Blazers who have played under .500 ball almost all season.

Look at 5 seed last year at this point. We were way out of it. No one thought we could get there but Memphis went into freefall due to injuries.

 

[Jade Falcon]

NBA league pass free preview tonight, nice! I can watch.

lol, and here I am getting pirated streams.

 

[KingSpeed]

Also- we are only 11 games behind Clippers. Not 14. Doable.

 

[KingSpeed]

9-0 run

 

[DUB]

Crafty move by CJ, I don't know how he squeezed between those two Hornets.

 

[DUB]

I like it when Moe takes it to the rim.

 

[KingSpeed]

Batum sucks by the way. Can't score on CJ. Hilarious.

 

[Jade Falcon]

We need to give Plumlee a long term contract. Fucking seriously.

 

[Cippy91]

Batum sucks by the way. Can't score on CJ. Hilarious.

Batum is dope, how dare you

 

[KingSpeed]

Batum is dope, how dare you

Dope at bricking shots and turnovers.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Did chief get injured? Why was he pulled so early?

 

[Jade Falcon]

Golden State at Charlotte next week.

My condolences, Charlotte.

 

[KingSpeed]

Did chief get injured? Why was he pulled so early?

I don't know. He was playing well.

 

[Jade Falcon]

That nelly guy.....I seem to remember he's always a thorn in our side whenever we play against him.