GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ NUGGETS - FEB. 25, 2014, TUESDAY, 6:00 PM (PST), CSNNW

[Darkwebs]

WHEN: 6:00 PM, TUESDAY, 2/25/2014​

WHERE: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO​

TV BROADCAST:

RADIO BROADCAST:

​

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S T A R T E R S

- - -

PG

DAMIAN LILLARD VS AARON BROOKS

SG

WES MATTHEWS VS RANDY FOYE

SF

NICOLAS BATUM VS WILSON CHANDLER

PF

DORELL WRIGHT VS KENNETH FARIED

C

ROBIN LOPEZ VS TIMOFEY MOZGOV



BENCH ROTATION

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

WILLIAMS , MCCOLLUM , BARTON, CLAVER , ROBINSON

DENVER NUGGETS

FOURNIER , MILLER , RANDOLPH , VESELY , HICKSON


INJURIES
TRAIL BLAZERS
LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE – Left groin strain. Out
JOEL FREELAND – Right knee sprain. Out
MEYERS LEONARD – Left ankle sprain. Out
NUGGETS
DARRELL ARTHUR – Left Hip Strain. Doubtful.
DANILO GALLINARI – Left Knee ACL Tear. Out.
TY LAWSON – Left Rib Fracture. Out.
JAVALE MCGEE – Left Tibia Stress Fracture. Out.
NATE ROBINSON – Left ACL Sprain. Out.


HEAD COACHES

- VS –

TERRY STOTTS----- BRIAN SHAW



BLAZERS' GAME NOTES ​

• The Nuggets have won 23 of their last 26 home games over Portland.

• Denver has fared fairly well in Portland in recent years, having gone 10-13 in away games against Portland since the 2002-03 season.

• Denver is an impressive 27-14 (.659) overall against the Trail Blazers since 2003-04, with 10 of the Blazers’ 13 wins coming in the past four seasons.

• The Nuggets have won the season series against Portland in seven of their last 11 years.

• Tuesday will mark the third of four meetings against the Nuggets this season. The final matchup will be held on March 1 in Portland.

• The Trail Blazers defeated the Nuggets, 113-98, on Nov. 1 in Denver and 110-105 on Jan. 23 in Portland.

• LaMarcus Aldridge scored a career high 44 points along wtih grabbing 13 rebounds in the Jan. 23 matchup against the Nuggets.

• Wesley Matthews recorded his third career double-double against the Nuggets on Nov. 1 with 21 points and 12 rebounds while LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game high 25 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists.

• Portland’s win in Denver on Nov. 1 snapped a nine games streak for the Trail Blazers against the Nuggets in Denver, with the last win at the Pepsi Center coming on Dec. 16, 2007, by a score of 116-105.

• Eight of the last 10 contests between Portland and Denver have been decided by fewer than 10 points.

• The 2012-13 season marked the first time the Trail Blazers lost a season series to Denver since 2009-10 (both resulted in a 1-3 record).

• Nuggets forward JJ Hickson played in 99 games with Portland during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. He finished seventh in the NBA in rebounding last season (10.4).

• Mo Williams and Randy Foye were teammates together for the past three seasons, from 2010-12 with the Clippers and from 2012-13 with the Jazz. Foye was also teammates last season with Trail Blazers guard Earl Watson.

• Nicolas Batum and Denver guard Evan Fournier are both natives of France.

• LaMarcus Aldridge and Nuggets forward Jordan Hamilton both played collegiately at the University of Texas.

• Earl Watson played 46 games with Denver in the 2005-06 season before being traded to Seattle

• HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY:
ALL TIME: Trail Blazers lead, 83-74
IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 60-20
IN DENVER: Nuggets lead, 54-23

GO BLAZERS!
​

 

[THE HCP]

Did Stotts say Robinson was going to start?

 

[Strenuus]

Damn. Gonna miss this one, gotta test right at 6 pm tomorrow, I'll miss the whole game. Kick some ass, Blazers!

 

[MickZagger]

Did Stotts say Robinson was going to start?

He better!

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Wow, didn't realize Denver had so many guys out with injuries.

 

[Strenuus]

Damn, we should go off on this team... that is, unless 3 of them go off for career highs.

 

[Rhal]

Mathews/lillard/Lawson/brooks are going to combine for over a hundred points

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

[Strenuus]

Mathews/lillard/Lawson/brooks are going to combine for over a hundred points

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Lawson is doubtful.

 

[Rhal]

Lawson is doubtful.

Im sticking to that regardless if lawson plays or not lol

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[Strenuus]

Im sticking to that regardless if lawson plays or not lol

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Fair enough! haha!

 

[maxiep]

I have tickets; I hope I'll be able to make it tonight. The Thuggets are beat up right now, and they're not playing well. That being said, our lack of frontline depth will really show tonight. The altitude is a real issue. Our guys are going to get winded, especially the guys not used to playing big minutes.

We're going to have to do a lot of substituting, and give our players run in short bursts, especially in the frontcourt. They're going to try to run us out of the Pepsi Center. Guys like Barton and McCollum are going to be huge tonight, as we can play small against these guys.

One matchup I'm dying to see is who plays Evan Fournier. I want Batum on him, giving him a bit of the ordures parler.

Also, don't be surprised if Lawson gives it a go tonight. He's been out since the first week in February with this rib and is dying to get back out there. Of course, Lillard will be a tough matchup for him on defense, but the opposite is sadly also true. Regardless, Brooks will run Damian all over the court as their best weapon against Lillard is to tire out his legs so his shot falls short. It's why we're going to need McCollum.

Wes is going to have to have a big game for us. Foye is their #1 offensive option with Lawson out. He's a strong dude with a good outside shot. The best way to limit his game is to make him run through screens all night. When Foye goes out for Fornier, switch Wes on the SF to give him a blow. Don't be surprised to see not only Barton, but also a bit of Crabbe tonight, because I could see us play some three guard lineups, and we're going to need fresh legs.

Batum and Chandler will be a good one. Chandler is no threat to shoot from beyond 10 feet, but he can defend, rebound and jump out of the gym. Chandler's job will be to grab, hold and push Nico as much as possible to deny him the ball to run our offense. We've done a lot of talking about Batum, and he's going to have to step up big time for us tonight.

Regardless of how Robinson played against Minny, I do think it makes sense to start Wright. We have to get either Faried or Hickson out of the post, as both are excellent rebounders. Wright can park himself in that corner and his shot will have to be respected. We bring Robinson in when the bigs are a bit tired and he ups the intensity a bit. Physically, a guy like Faried will have trouble with Robinson as he can match him in terms of strength, athleticism and tenacity. Denying second attempts for the Chicken Nuggets will be huge for for our bigs tonight. I don't know if Claver has it in him.

Hickson desperately wants to crush us. We can use it to our advantage. He's going to shoot every time he gets the ball. When he does get the ball, we should collapse on him because he's not going to pass it. We're also going to need to keep FroLo out of foul trouble, because guys like Hickson or Faried will abuse Claver.

Bottom line, I think we need to slow the game down, be patient, do a lot of passing and find the open man. Much less running than we did against Minny. The Thuggets want to lull you into their up-and-down game, which is why they give up so many points but are such a good rebounding team. This team is capable of playing defense for about 15 seconds, then they lose interest. We should aim to shoot with single digits on the shot clock all night.

They came back from a long, unsuccessful road trip and dropped their first game back to Sac. Their only win without Lawson was against the Bucks. They are pissed off and frustrated right now. All I hear is how they are going to play spoiler. This is a big game for us because it's a division opponent and counts more than usual for our playoff seeding.

 

[Boise Blazer]

Casey Holdahl @CHold
LaMarcus @aldridge_12 is with the team in Denver. Do not know if he will play tonight vs. Nuggets

 

[Boise Blazer]

Chris Haynes @ChrisBHaynes
Nuggets to start Timofey Mozgov at C and Kenneth Faried at PF vs #Blazers tonight. JJ Hickson will come off bench for 4th time this season.

 

[Boise Blazer]

Comcast SportsNet NW @CSNNW
LaMarcus Aldridge made the trip to Denver, got off the team bus entering #Blazers shootaround.

 

[Darkwebs]

Per Rotowire 12 minutes ago, it looks like Lawson won't play

Lawson (ribs) took part in some 5-on-0 drills in shootaround, but will miss a seventh consecutive game Tuesday, the Nuggets' official site report. (12 minutes ago)

 

[Strenuus]

Per Rotowire 12 minutes ago, it looks like Lawson won't play

So Aaron Brooks will have a career night.

 

[Rhal]

So Aaron Brooks will have a career night.

Brooks can't finish through contact so id give him at most 30 if his three is falling.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

[Mediocre Man]

If Aldridge doesn't play, I hope Stotts rewards Robinson with the start.

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

I'm sitting at a happy hour with Hobbes getting ready for the game. SlyPokerDog is on the other side of the table.

The pay scale is like this:

$20........spit in his appetizer
$50 ........spill his beer
$100 ......full Nicoli Spanish Nutsack Maneuver.

Stay tuned for Paypal account.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I'm sitting at a happy hour with Hobbes getting ready for the game. SlyPokerDog is on the other side of the table.

The pay scale is like this:

$20........spit in his appetizer
$50 ........spill his beer
$100 ......full Nicoli Spanish Nutsack Maneuver.

Stay tuned for Paypal account.

I'm on to him, he's already tried to roofie my drink twice.

 

[BigGameDamian]

what happened to having games on channel 8? Are the Blazers fizzling out now?

 

[BigGameDamian]

I'm on to him, he's already tried to roofie my drink twice.

Whos next to get banned?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Whos next to get banned?

2 more jack and cokes and I'm banning everyone!

 

[KingSpeed]

I have tickets; I hope I'll be able to make it tonight. The Thuggets are beat up right now, and they're not playing well. That being said, our lack of frontline depth will really show tonight. The altitude is a real issue. Our guys are going to get winded, especially the guys not used to playing big minutes.

We're going to have to do a lot of substituting, and give our players run in short bursts, especially in the frontcourt. They're going to try to run us out of the Pepsi Center. Guys like Barton and McCollum are going to be huge tonight, as we can play small against these guys.

One matchup I'm dying to see is who plays Evan Fournier. I want Batum on him, giving him a bit of the ordures parler.

Also, don't be surprised if Lawson gives it a go tonight. He's been out since the first week in February with this rib and is dying to get back out there. Of course, Lillard will be a tough matchup for him on defense, but the opposite is sadly also true. Regardless, Brooks will run Damian all over the court as their best weapon against Lillard is to tire out his legs so his shot falls short. It's why we're going to need McCollum.

Wes is going to have to have a big game for us. Foye is their #1 offensive option with Lawson out. He's a strong dude with a good outside shot. The best way to limit his game is to make him run through screens all night. When Foye goes out for Fornier, switch Wes on the SF to give him a blow. Don't be surprised to see not only Barton, but also a bit of Crabbe tonight, because I could see us play some three guard lineups, and we're going to need fresh legs.

Batum and Chandler will be a good one. Chandler is no threat to shoot from beyond 10 feet, but he can defend, rebound and jump out of the gym. Chandler's job will be to grab, hold and push Nico as much as possible to deny him the ball to run our offense. We've done a lot of talking about Batum, and he's going to have to step up big time for us tonight.

Regardless of how Robinson played against Minny, I do think it makes sense to start Wright. We have to get either Faried or Hickson out of the post, as both are excellent rebounders. Wright can park himself in that corner and his shot will have to be respected. We bring Robinson in when the bigs are a bit tired and he ups the intensity a bit. Physically, a guy like Faried will have trouble with Robinson as he can match him in terms of strength, athleticism and tenacity. Denying second attempts for the Chicken Nuggets will be huge for for our bigs tonight. I don't know if Claver has it in him.

Hickson desperately wants to crush us. We can use it to our advantage. He's going to shoot every time he gets the ball. When he does get the ball, we should collapse on him because he's not going to pass it. We're also going to need to keep FroLo out of foul trouble, because guys like Hickson or Faried will abuse Claver.

Bottom line, I think we need to slow the game down, be patient, do a lot of passing and find the open man. Much less running than we did against Minny. The Thuggets want to lull you into their up-and-down game, which is why they give up so many points but are such a good rebounding team. This team is capable of playing defense for about 15 seconds, then they lose interest. We should aim to shoot with single digits on the shot clock all night.

They came back from a long, unsuccessful road trip and dropped their first game back to Sac. Their only win without Lawson was against the Bucks. They are pissed off and frustrated right now. All I hear is how they are going to play spoiler. This is a big game for us because it's a division opponent and counts more than usual for our playoff seeding.

Great post

 

[BBert]

Test.

Is this thing on?

 

[BBert]

There are 666 views of this thread. Spooky.

Where is everyone? Did you all ditch me?

Where's the real game thread?

 

[VenomXL]

Nice flop JJ.

 

[VenomXL]

Two charge calls in a row. Time to settle down a bit.

 

[maxiep]

I couldn't make the game tonight, so I have to watch the game on Altitude. If you think Barrett and Rice are homers, you should listen to Marlowe and Hastings. They're shameless.

 

[maxiep]

The Blazers need to slow the game down. The Thuggets don't have the talent to play a half-court game with us.