Game Thread GAME# 71: BLAZERS @ SUNS - MAY 13, 2021 - THURSDAY, 7:00, TNT & NBCSNW

[Darkwebs]

2020-21 REGULAR SEASON RECORD
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
41 - 29
(22-13 Road)
PHOENIX SUNS
48 - 21
(26-9 Home)


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

PG

DAMIAN LILLARD VS CHRIS PAUL

SG

C.J. McCOLLUM VS DEVIN BOOKER

SF

NORMAN POWELL VS MIKAL BRIDGES

PF

ROBERT COVINGTON VS JAE CROWDER

C

JUSUF NURKIC VS DeANDRE AYTON


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------- JERSEYS -------

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WHEN: 7:00 PM (PDT), THURSDAY, 5/13/2021

WHERE: TALKING STICK RESORT ARENA, PHOENIX, AZ

TV BROADCAST:

RADIO BROADCAST:

​

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--------------RESERVES--------------
- PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS -

SIMONS , BLEVINS , ELLEBY

LITTLE , HOLLIS-JEFFERSON , JONES Jr.

ANTHONY , LEAF

GILES III , KANTER


- PHOENIX SUNS-

PAYNE , CARTER , GALLOWAY

MOORE , ALEXANDER

CRAIG , SARIC

SMITH , KAMINSKY



INJURIES
TRAIL BLAZERS
Nassir Little (back): QUESTIONABLE
Zach Collins (left ankle stress fracture): OUT
SUNS
Cam Johnson (right wrist sprain): OUT
Abdel Nader (right knee arthroscopy): OUT



HEAD COACHES

- VS –

TERRY STOTTS --- MONTY WILLIAMS

OFFICIAL SUNS' GAME NOTES
OFFICIAL BLAZERS' GAME NOTES ​

• The Trail Blazers May 13 game against the Suns will be the third and final matchup between Portland and Phoenix in 2020-21. Phoenix leads the season series, 2-0.

• LAST GAME: Phoenix won the last meeting between the Trail Blazers and Suns on Marh 11, 127-121. Damian Lillard led Portland with 30 points (10-23 FG, 5-12 3-PT, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 35 points (12-21 FG, 3-5 3-PT, 8-8 FT), five rebounds and eight assists.

• Enes Kanter logged a double-double against the Suns on March 11, finishing with 16 points (7-10 FG, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds and three assists.

• Robert Covington added 13 points (5-11 FG, 3-6 3-PT), six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

• Chris Paul recorded 19 points (7-15 FG, 2-4 3-PT, 3-3 FT), five rebounds and seven assists against Portland on March 11.

• HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY:
ALL TIME: Suns lead, 124-108
PORTLAND HOME: Trail Blazers lead, 72-45
PHOENIX HOME: Suns lead, 79-36

 

[Darkwebs]

After beating the team with the best record in the league, the Blazers have now won 9 of their last 10 games.

Portland will play the penultimate game of their regular season against the 2nd best team in the NBA on the 2nd night of a back-to-back. But they will not have the advantage of the opponent's major contributors being injured, like the game versus the Jazz. So this will be a true test of what level Portland is playing at.

As for the standings, the Blazers now control their own destiny, as the 5th seed is the Blazers' to lose. All they have to do is win the remaining two game of the season. So although this game isn't a must-win, it's a cannot-lose if they are serious about staying in 5th place.

 

[Strenuus]

Easiest poll question ever.

 

[Labinot41]

 

[Fairly-Hard]

So obviously the Jazz didn't just hand that last game over. I don't expect the Suns to rest anyone either. Another dog fight!
Good news- Blazers play well on the second game on the second night and they play well on the road!
Bad news- Blazers have to play this game as the second game on the second night and it's on the road!
Go Get Em Blazers!

 

[blazerkor]

This game is monstrous for us. We've got to give up less wide open threes than we did against Utah. We've got to win this game. We are not guaranteed a spot in the playoffs right now. So we need this win and we need it big time!!!

 

[wizenheimer]

This game is monstrous for us. We've got to give up less wide open threes than we did against Utah. We've got to win this game. We are not guaranteed a spot in the playoffs right now. So we need this win and we need it big time!!!

yeah...this is a huge game for Portland, especially if you assume Dallas will win their final 2 games. If Dallas does, and Suns beat Blazers, Dallas is 5th seed and Blazers will be 6th seed....providing they don't lose both remaining games and Lakers win both of theirs.

Blazers control 5th seed but they have to win both games. It would suck donkey balls for Portland to do all this and end up drawing the Clippers in the 1st round

 

[blazerkor]

yeah...this is a huge game for Portland, especially if you assume Dallas will win their final 2 games. If Dallas does, and Suns beat Blazers, Dallas is 5th seed and Blazers will be 6th seed....providing they don't lose both remaining games and Lakers win both of theirs.

Blazers control 5th seed but they have to win both games. It would suck donkey balls for Portland to do all this and end up drawing the Clippers in the 1st round

It would suck a lot more to lose this game, lose against the Nuggets and end up in the play-ins.

 

[wizenheimer]

It would suck a lot more to lose this game, lose against the Nuggets and end up in the play-ins.

no problem...Blazers have a great record against the Warriors in the post season....walk in the park

 

[Strenuus]

no problem...Blazers have a great record against the Warriors in the post season....walk in the park

needn't the font that illuminates the color of sun drenched grass.

 

[blazerkor]

needn't the font that illuminates the color of sun drenched grass.

If we lost to the Warriors that would be three losses in a row and I would seriously be sweating the Grizz game that I'm presuming we'd be having. I will say this, if the Rockets would have gotten that shit done tonight, I wouldn't feel the tension I feel right now and I kind of love some late season tension... it's like a game that's a nail biter. We've kind of got a nail biting regular season right now.

Sure, I'd love it if we were contenders and this was a time when we were all debating whether we should be sitting our guys or keeping them sharp but you've got to take the fun where it is and this not knowing shit is pretty fun.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

no problem...Blazers have a great record against the Warriors in the post season....walk in the park

This is a different Warriors and a different Blazers.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

If we lost to the Warriors that would be three losses in a row and I would seriously be sweating the Grizz game that I'm presuming we'd be having. I will say this, if the Rockets would have gotten that shit done tonight, I wouldn't feel the tension I feel right now and I kind of love some late season tension... it's like a game that's a nail biter. We've kind of got a nail biting regular season right now.

Sure, I'd love it if we were contenders and this was a time when we were all debating whether we should be sitting our guys or keeping them sharp but you've got to take the fun where it is and this not knowing shit is pretty fun.

If we win tomorrow and Mavs lose on Friday, we’re 5th. Can play Blevins 48 minutes on Sunday.

edit: we could still end up in 3way. That sucks. Stupid division tiebreaker. Need Lakers to lose in Indiana on Saturday too. Could happen. Important game for Indiana.

 

[Strenuus]

This is a different Warriors and a different Blazers.

Lol. Now you use this argument. How fitting.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

If we win tomorrow and Mavs lose on Friday, we’re 5th. Can play Blevins 48 minutes on Sunday.

edit: we could still end up in 3way. That sucks. Stupid division tiebreaker. Need Lakers to lose in Indiana on Saturday too. Could happen. Important game for Indiana.

If we get the 5th seed we still might need to beat the Nuggets to keep them in the 4th seed... if Nuggets win and Clippers lose Clippers are the 4th seed.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Big game, a win gets us close to a Nuggets 4-5 matchup against a team without Murray. Same side of the bracket as Utah and maybe GS.

Other side of the bracket would be Phx, Clippers, Dallas, Lakers. Those might be 4 hardest opponents in the conference.

Looks like a similar setup as our WCF run.

Step1 is beat Phoenix.

Go Blazers!

 

[Labinot41]

no problem...Blazers have a great record against the Warriors in the post season....walk in the park

Kanter drop coverage works against Steph

 

[illmatic99]

Last ten games.

1st in ORTG
9th in DRTG
1st in Net rating

 

[crandc]

Just win baby.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I think Kanter will be effective on the boards against Saric and Kaminsky. My worry is both will be getting wide-open 3's.
Same with Crowder. They all shoot the 3-ball well.

 

[wizenheimer]

This is a different Warriors and a different Blazers.

oh for fucksakes...is your 'good-ship-lollypop' act so ingrained you have to even go after jokes people make?

 

[wizenheimer]

Last ten games.

1st in ORTG
9th in DRTG
1st in Net rating

9-1 is more impressive

 

[illmatic99]

9-1 is more impressive

These stats are more indicative of potential playoff success.

We were winning squeakers earlier in the year that predicted our downfall against better competition. I put more stock in the per 100 poss stats than raw win loss record, especially for teams like ours where success will be determined in the playoffs, not regular season.

 

[illmatic99]

Easiest poll question ever.

And yet, it's not as one sided as I was expecting. EVEN now??? People still on this Stotts stuff, I don't get it

 

[DDolla]

We are tired and the Suns will try everything to help the Lakers out of the 7th seed.

 

[wizenheimer]

We are tired and the Suns will try everything to help the Lakers out of the 7th seed.

I don't think Portland is that tired. More important is that Dame doesn't appear to be playing tired. He's Portland's bellweather

look at the schedule, if the Blazers win this game, they not only get the week off for playoff teams, they get an extra day off before the season final. For a team that has been playing with a shortened rotation, those extra days could be important

of course, they have their mojo working right now so maybe all that time off isn't all good

 

[Cugel]

The Suns do not want the Lakers in the first round. They will pull out all the stops tonight. Brutal back-to-back man.

 

[trailblazer18]

I think Kanter will be effective on the boards against Saric and Kaminsky. My worry is both will be getting wide-open 3's.
Same with Crowder. They all shoot the 3-ball well.

I picked up Crowder for daily fantasy today...

 

[Scalma]

These are the blazers, you just know the playoffs are gonna come down to the final game against the Nuggets.

Back to back, relatively healthy Suns team, the odds aren’t great.

 

[BlazerBeav]

I just don't buy the Suns - their record is a product of losing so few games to injury - and to their credit, taking advantage of those of us who did suffer through injuries: