Game Thread GAME# 39: CLIPPERS @ BLAZERS - JANUARY 14, 2015 - WEDNESDAY, 7:30 PM (PST), KGW & ESPN

PROBABLE STARTERS




VS









WHEN: 7:30 PM, WEDNESDAY, 1/14/2014​

WHERE: Moda Center, Portland, OR




TV BROADCAST:


AND





RADIO BROADCAST:


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BENCH

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

FARMAR , CRAWFORD , BULLOCK , DOUGLAS-ROBERTS

TURKOGLU , DAVIS , HAWES , UDOH


PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

BLAKE , MCCOLLUM , CRABBE , BARTON

WRIGHT , CLAVER , ROBINSON , LEONARD



INJURIES
CLIPPERS
NONE
TRAIL BLAZERS
▪ Allen Crabbe (left knee strain): QUESTIONABLE
▪ Joel Freeland (right shoulder strain): OUT
▪ Robin Lopez (fractured right index finger): OUT


HEAD COACHES
- VS –
DOC RIVERS --- TERRY STOTTS




OFFICIAL BLAZERS' GAME NOTES ​

OFFICIAL CLIPPERS' GAME NOTES


GO BLAZERS!!!​

 

Game 39: POR v. LAC (25-13), 1/14/15

Our last game: W @ LAL, 106-94

Their last game: L v. MIA, 104-90

Injuries: POR- Crabbe (questionable), Lopez (out), Freeland (out)

Matchups:
Lillard vs. Paul (17.9ppg, 9.6apg, 4.5rpg, 1.3stl/g, 41% 3pt)
Matthews vs. Redick (15.1ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.6apg, 42.6% 3pt)
Batum vs. Barnes (9.4ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.2apg 39.5% 3pt)
Aldridge vs. Griffin (22.7ppg, 7.7rpg, 5.0apg)
Kaman vs. Jordan (9.4ppg, 13.5rpg, 2.3blk/g, 70%FG, 40%FT)

Power Rankings
ESPN (8) Perhaps no two days this season illustrate the up-and-down nature of these Clips more than Saturday's rout of the Mavs ... followed by a humbling L on the same floor to Miami. You heard Jamal Crawford's take, right? Says the reigning Sixth Man of the Year: "We're consistently inconsistent."

Fox Sports (10) It’s hard to imagine the Clippers winning a title this season. But when you look at how wide open this league is right now, it also wouldn’t be absurdly surprising if they did. The nine-game homestand was mostly a success, as the Clippers won six of nine. The defense has looked slightly better, but a real test will come in Portland tonight.

NBA.com (9) Pace: 96.3 (15), OffRtg: 110.2 (3), DefRtg: 103.5 (17), NetRtg: +6.7 (4)
The Clippers were on their way to a 7-2 homestand until they were outscored 37-12 by the Heat in a 10-minute stretch spanning the first and second quarters on Sunday. It was the latest example of how much they need bench help. But they've been watching the Western Conference arms race from the sidelines so far, and Austin Rivers isn't the answer.

CBSSports.com (10)
They've won games, but never seem to win a game that impresses you. Even the victory vs. the Mavericks wasn't as good as it looks on the surface. And their penchant for getting absolutely embarrassed in their own building isn't exactly encouraging.

Link to Grandpa Blaze's Prediction Game
Link to MediocreMan's Over/Under Game

Final Thoughts: Clips get out to fast starts, and Portland's MO has been to not do the same. However, the 2nd half is Lillard Time, and he leads the league in 4th-quarter points. I expect an up-and-down game, but I think that POR's offense (especially from 3) proves better than LAC's--even though they have 4 really good 3pt shooters, POR is among the league's best at defending the 3--and it comes down to who makes clutch shots late. So even though LAC may be up at half...may be up at the end of three...Portland's never out of it. Again from ESPN:

Lillard Time. LMA-Train. Wesniss Everthreen. Meyers Leonar_. From 3? 2 much.

POR 115
LAC 106

 

I'd go a different route.

"Thomas--you're the only one big and athletic enough to keep up with Blake. So you're going to start, you're going to blanket him, and not let him see an inch of daylight. If he scores more than 6 points on you in the first quarter, you will be traded to Philadelphia before the game is over."

 

Preview updated in Post 2. Have fun during the game, I will not be around. Sly's preventatively banning me for putting up too many LMA shooting stats.