Game Thread GAME# 64: BLAZERS @ RAPTORS - MARCH 15, 2015 - SUNDAY, 4:00 PM (PST), CSNNW

[Darkwebs]

---------PROBABLE STARTERS---------

PG

DAMIAN LILLARD VS KYLE LOWRY

SG

ARRON AFFLALO VS DeMAR DeROZAN

SF

NICOLAS BATUM VS TERRENCE ROSS

PF

LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE VS AMIR JOHNSON

C

ROBIN LOPEZ VS JONAS VALANCIUNAS



WHEN: 4:00 PM (Pacific), SUNDAY, 3/15/2015​

WHERE: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

TV BROADCAST:

RADIO BROADCAST:

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



--------------BENCH--------------

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

BLAKE , McCOLLUM , CRABBE , GEE

WRIGHT , LEONARD , KAMAN

TORONTO RAPTORS

VASQUEZ , WILLIAMS , FIELDS , JOHNSON

PATTERSON , HANSBROUGH , HAYES , STIEMSMA



INJURIES
TRAIL BLAZERS
Alonzo Gee (oral surgery): QUESTIONABLE
Joel Freeland (suspended for being a bad-ass): OUT
Wesley Matthews (left Achilles’ tendon): OUT
RAPTORS
NONE





HEAD COACHES

- VS –

TERRY STOTTS --- DWANE CASEY




BLAZERS' OFFICIAL GAME NOTES ​

• Sunday marks the second and final game between the Trail Blazers and Raptors in 2014-15.

• Toronto is the fifth highest scoring team in the NBA (104.4 pts/game), while the Trail Blazers are ranked ninth in the NBA for fewest points allowed per game (97.5).

• The Trail Blazers rank second in the NBA in rebounding with 46.1 rebounds per game, while Toronto is 26th in the NBA at 41.4 boards/game.

• Portland defeated Toronto 102-97 at the Moda Center on Dec. 30, 2014. In that game, Damian Lillard recorded game-highs in both points (26) and assists (9).

• LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting and hauled in 13 rebounds in the previous game between these teams.

• LaMarcus Aldridge has recorded nine consecutive double-doubles against the Raptors dating back to Mar. 14, 2010.

• The Trail Blazers have defeated the Raptors in 11 of the past 12 meetings between these two teams. Portland is 5-1 in its past six games played in Toronto.

• LaMarcus Aldridge’s 23 rebounds on Jan. 20, 2012 against Toronto is the most rebounds by any Trail Blazer against the Raptors in franchise history.

• Arron Afflalo scored 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting (4-7 3-PT) against the Raptors as a member of the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 8, 2014.

• DeMar DeRozan’s 36 points scored against the Trail Blazers on Feb. 1, 2014 stands as the most points ever scored by a Raptors player against Portland in a regulation game (36 games total). The highest point total overall belongs to Chris Bosh, who scored 38 points against Portland
in a two-overtime game on Jan. 13, 2008.

• DeMar DeRozan has scored 20+ points in five consecutive games against Portland. He is averaging 26.2 points during that stretch. DeRozan was inactive in the first game between these two teams earlier this season.

• Trail Blazers assistant coach Jay Triano served as the head coach for the Raptors from 2008-11.

• HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY:
ALL TIME: Trail Blazers lead, 26-10
IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 14-4
AT THE RAPTORS: Trail Blazers lead, 12-6

RAPTORS' OFFICIAL GAME NOTES



GO BLAZERS!!!​

 

[Darkwebs]

Reserved

 

[BigGameDamian]

The Blazers road record kind of bothers me. 15-14 isn't that great. This is going to be another tough road win.

 

[Darkwebs]

The Blazers road record kind of bothers me. 15-14 isn't that great. This is going to be another tough road win.

Their record on the road worries me, too. The Blazers' final road record last season was 23-18, so we were a very good road team a year ago. And being very good on the road helped us net 2 road wins in the playoffs, propelling us to the 2nd round.

I hope the Blazers start figuring out how to get wins on the enemy's court. We will need that ability in the playoffs if we want to advance to the WC Finals this year.

 

[Strenuus]

I said 3-2.

Loss tonight in Toronto
Win in washington
Win in Miami
Win in Orlando
Loss to Memphis

I'd be okay with that. Go to 18-16 on the road.

 

[Strenuus]

The Blazers road record kind of bothers me. 15-14 isn't that great. This is going to be another tough road win.

Out of all western conference playoff teams, we have the lowest amount of road wins.

However, we also have the lowest amount of road games played. We make that all up this month. It's put up or shut up time. I think the Blazers will do fine. we do 3-2 at minimum on these trips I'll be satisfied.

 

[Darkwebs]

Their record on the road worries me, too. The Blazers' final road record last season was 23-18, so we were a very good road team a year ago. And being very good on the road helped us net 2 road wins in the playoffs, propelling us to the 2nd round.

I hope the Blazers start figuring out how to get wins on the enemy's court. We will need that ability in the playoffs if we want to advance to the WC Finals this year.

On the bright side, we have defended home court much better this year. We won 31 games at the Moda Center last year, but this season we are already at 28 home wins with 7 more home games to go.

 

[Sinobas]

.500 on the road is actually good. 80% at home and 50% on the road = 54 wins.

 

[kjironman1]

This ought to be a good game to watch. Lots of good matchups. Lowry vs Lillard, Valanciunas vs Lopez, Afflalo vs Derozan are really going to be fun to watch. Blazers have the advantage on most nights at PF and this game is no exception.

The Raptors were red hot when they came to Portland at the end of December and were playing with lots of confidence. That game went to OT and was eventually won by the home team. That was the first game back for Aldridge after the dreaded "Respiratory Illness" that was going around. Blazers came out slow and Toronto held the lead much of the game. But their true colors were beginning to show. The Raptors had been the beneficiaries of what many call the softest schedule of any team in the league to that point. They are young and struggle to close out games. Good teams would peck away at them and expose their weaknesses on defense. After the loss in Portland the Raptors would go on to lose 7 of their next 10.

Since the All-Star break it has been even worse for these guys. They were 37-17 at one point but now sit at 39-26. Their problem is not scoring as they have players that can put the ball in the hoop. It is playing as a team and playing solid defense. This team has all the makings of a good team and can win on any given night against any team in the league but as the season gets closer to the Playoffs teams start playing "Playoff Basketball" and that is what the Raptors have got to learn.

The Raptors don't defend the 3 particularly well and they have a tendency to foul so these things could very well decide the game for Portland. Look for Lillard to get open looks and for Afflalo to try to post up and or drive and get to the line. They will most likely double Aldridge because he will torch them if they don't. Johnson will not be able to cover him and if he tries alone he will have to foul LA.

Derozan will try to score at the rim and get some highlight reel stuff but he doesn't shoot well from anywhere but above the rim really. The key will be to stop him from getting the crowd going.

As far as bench production goes Portland has better solidarity and the roles are more defined. The Rators however do have some front court players that can do damage. Patterson rebounds well and James Johnson can score. When they bring in Tyler Hansbrough he immediately jacks up the energy and he usually commits a few hard fouls. Freeland will not be playing so i expect to see Meyers out there. Mike Rice talks about Stotts being the kind of coach that plays the Players that earn it. Well if there is a player on the bench that has earned some time it would be Meyers. He seems to be meshing well with Kaman and Blake so bring it on.

Batum's averages are going up with every game. Nice to see. Not just his PPG but his RPG have seen a jump. The constant has been APG. I would look again for Nic to work the two man game with RoLo and then Lopez to get to the free throw line.

Pick tonight is a crap shoot? Lets go with Lillard. This team will try to stop Aldridge i would guess.

They are saying Gee is day to day but my Wisdom teeth would not have kept me out of a game two days after being removed.

Go Blazers!

kjironman is a fan!!!

 

[Kaydow]

Their record on the road worries me, too. The Blazers' final road record last season was 23-18, so we were a very good road team a year ago. And being very good on the road helped us net 2 road wins in the playoffs, propelling us to the 2nd round.

I hope the Blazers start figuring out how to get wins on the enemy's court. We will need that ability in the playoffs if we want to advance to the WC Finals this year.

We were 12-5 on the road this year at one point, but have gone 3-9 in the last 12. Similarly, we started out 15-5 on the road last season, but went 8-11 from that point. That 8-11 includes a 4 game road win streak to finish the season (at one point we had lost 11/15 and road trips were nightmarish). The point is we are streaky on the road. 5-0, 0-5, or anything in between is plausible. We have won 2 of our last 3 roadies, so at least we're trending in the right direction.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

This ought to be a good game to watch. Lots of good matchups. Lowry vs Lillard, Valanciunas vs Lopez, Afflalo vs Derozan are really going to be fun to watch. Blazers have the advantage on most nights at PF and this game is no exception.

The Raptors were red hot when they came to Portland at the end of December and were playing with lots of confidence. That game went to OT and was eventually won by the home team. That was the first game back for Aldridge after the dreaded "Respiratory Illness" that was going around. Blazers came out slow and Toronto held the lead much of the game. But their true colors were beginning to show. The Raptors had been the beneficiaries of what many call the softest schedule of any team in the league to that point. They are young and struggle to close out games. Good teams would peck away at them and expose their weaknesses on defense. After the loss in Portland the Raptors would go on to lose 7 of their next 10.

Since the All-Star break it has been even worse for these guys. They were 37-17 at one point but now sit at 39-26. Their problem is not scoring as they have players that can put the ball in the hoop. It is playing as a team and playing solid defense. This team has all the makings of a good team and can win on any given night against any team in the league but as the season gets closer to the Playoffs teams start playing "Playoff Basketball" and that is what the Raptors have got to learn.

The Raptors don't defend the 3 particularly well and they have a tendency to foul so these things could very well decide the game for Portland. Look for Lillard to get open looks and for Afflalo to try to post up and or drive and get to the line. They will most likely double Aldridge because he will torch them if they don't. Johnson will not be able to cover him and if he tries alone he will have to foul LA.

Derozan will try to score at the rim and get some highlight reel stuff but he doesn't shoot well from anywhere but above the rim really. The key will be to stop him from getting the crowd going.

As far as bench production goes Portland has better solidarity and the roles are more defined. The Rators however do have some front court players that can do damage. Patterson rebounds well and James Johnson can score. When they bring in Tyler Hansbrough he immediately jacks up the energy and he usually commits a few hard fouls. Freeland will not be playing so i expect to see Meyers out there. Mike Rice talks about Stotts being the kind of coach that plays the Players that earn it. Well if there is a player on the bench that has earned some time it would be Meyers. He seems to be meshing well with Kaman and Blake so bring it on.

Batum's averages are going up with every game. Nice to see. Not just his PPG but his RPG have seen a jump. The constant has been APG. I would look again for Nic to work the two man game with RoLo and then Lopez to get to the free throw line.

Pick tonight is a crap shoot? Lets go with Lillard. This team will try to stop Aldridge i would guess.

They are saying Gee is day to day but my Wisdom teeth would not have kept me out of a game two days after being removed.

Go Blazers!

kjironman is a fan!!!

I really enjoy and very much appreciate your pregame write ups. You do a hell of a good job on them.

 

[kjironman1]

I really enjoy and very much appreciate your pregame write ups. You do a hell of a good job on them.

Thanks Sly. They are fun to do.....Now what do i owe you?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Thanks Sly. They are fun to do.....Now what do i owe you?

Have any daughters that are over 18yrs old?

 

[kjironman1]

She is 21 but pretty ornery. And she is very very expensive! You are better off going for the Russian Mail Order types.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

She is 21 but pretty ornery. And she is very very expensive! You are better off going for the Russian Mail Order types.

LOL!

 

[magnifier661]

I really enjoy and very much appreciate your pregame write ups. You do a hell of a good job on them.

Yes I totally dig reading them

 

[KingSpeed]

I said 3-2.

Loss tonight in Toronto
Win in washington
Win in Miami
Win in Orlando
Loss to Memphis

I'd be okay with that. Go to 18-16 on the road.

I'll hold you to this if you freak out over a loss. I say 4-1 with the one loss in Florida.

This ought to be a good game to watch. Lots of good matchups. Lowry vs Lillard, Valanciunas vs Lopez, Afflalo vs Derozan are really going to be fun to watch. Blazers have the advantage on most nights at PF and this game is no exception.

The Raptors were red hot when they came to Portland at the end of December and were playing with lots of confidence. That game went to OT and was eventually won by the home team. That was the first game back for Aldridge after the dreaded "Respiratory Illness" that was going around. Blazers came out slow and Toronto held the lead much of the game. But their true colors were beginning to show. The Raptors had been the beneficiaries of what many call the softest schedule of any team in the league to that point. They are young and struggle to close out games. Good teams would peck away at them and expose their weaknesses on defense. After the loss in Portland the Raptors would go on to lose 7 of their next 10.

Since the All-Star break it has been even worse for these guys. They were 37-17 at one point but now sit at 39-26. Their problem is not scoring as they have players that can put the ball in the hoop. It is playing as a team and playing solid defense. This team has all the makings of a good team and can win on any given night against any team in the league but as the season gets closer to the Playoffs teams start playing "Playoff Basketball" and that is what the Raptors have got to learn.

The Raptors don't defend the 3 particularly well and they have a tendency to foul so these things could very well decide the game for Portland. Look for Lillard to get open looks and for Afflalo to try to post up and or drive and get to the line. They will most likely double Aldridge because he will torch them if they don't. Johnson will not be able to cover him and if he tries alone he will have to foul LA.

Derozan will try to score at the rim and get some highlight reel stuff but he doesn't shoot well from anywhere but above the rim really. The key will be to stop him from getting the crowd going.

As far as bench production goes Portland has better solidarity and the roles are more defined. The Rators however do have some front court players that can do damage. Patterson rebounds well and James Johnson can score. When they bring in Tyler Hansbrough he immediately jacks up the energy and he usually commits a few hard fouls. Freeland will not be playing so i expect to see Meyers out there. Mike Rice talks about Stotts being the kind of coach that plays the Players that earn it. Well if there is a player on the bench that has earned some time it would be Meyers. He seems to be meshing well with Kaman and Blake so bring it on.

Batum's averages are going up with every game. Nice to see. Not just his PPG but his RPG have seen a jump. The constant has been APG. I would look again for Nic to work the two man game with RoLo and then Lopez to get to the free throw line.

Pick tonight is a crap shoot? Lets go with Lillard. This team will try to stop Aldridge i would guess.

They are saying Gee is day to day but my Wisdom teeth would not have kept me out of a game two days after being removed.

Go Blazers!

kjironman is a fan!!!

Great post, thanks.

 

[PHXBlazer1]

Anyone have a link so I can watch on the plane to DC?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kingslayer]

Refs: Bill Spooner, Courtney Kirkland, Leon Wood

 

[Strenuus]

Lets start this road trip off right!

 

[kingslayer]

Gonna be a tough one, Toronto seems to have gotten things back together for the most part. Go Blazers!

 

[Darkwebs]

Lillard gets a foul on the first defensive possession for the Blazers.
Not a good start.

 

[Strenuus]

There was no contact there. lol.

 

[Strenuus]

Lillard, be smart about your shots.

 

[Darkwebs]

AA for 3!

 

[riverman]

AAA

 

[Strenuus]

Lillard was surprised he was that wide open. lol.

 

[kingslayer]

AA for 3!

And another one!

 

[Darkwebs]

Double A for another triple!

 

[Strenuus]

Shit.. I'm way behind. Gonna jusst watch the game. lol.