Game Thread GAME# 35: LAKERS @ BLAZERS - JANUARY 5, 2015 - MONDAY, 7:00 PM (PST), KGW

PROBABLE STARTERS


LOS ANGELES LAKERS

RONNIE PRICE (PG) , WAYNE ELLINGTON (SG)


NICK YOUNG (SF) , ED DAVIS (PF)


JORDAN HILL (C)




PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS


DAMIAN LILLARD (PG) , WESLEY MATTHEWS (SG)
The RainBroz



NICOLAS BATUM (SF) , LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE (PF)


CHRIS KAMAN (C)



WHEN: 7:00 PM, MONDAY, 1/5/2015​

WHERE: Moda Center, Portland, OR



TV BROADCAST:



RADIO BROADCAST:



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BENCH

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

LIN , CLARKSON , KELLY

BOOZER , BLACK , SACRE

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

BLAKE , MCCOLLUM , CRABBE , BARTON

WRIGHT , CLAVER , ROBINSON , LEONARD




INJURIES
LAKERS
▪ Kobe Bryant (rest): OUT
▪ Wesley Johnson (straight right hip flexor): OUT
▪ Steve Nash (sciatic pain): OUT
▪ Julius Randle (tibia fracture, right leg): OUT
▪ Xavier Henry (ruptured left Achilles tendon): OUT
TRAIL BLAZERS
▪ Joel Freeland (right shoulder strain): OUT
▪ Robin Lopez (fractured right index finger): OUT



HEAD COACHES
- VS –
BYRON SCOTT--- TERRY STOTTS




OFFICIAL BLAZERS' GAME NOTES ​

GO BLAZERS!!!​

 

Game Preview POR v. LAL, 1/5/2015
L*kers: 11-23, last in the Pacific Division

Our Last Game: L v. ATL, 115-107

Their Last Game: W v. IND, 88-87

Other recent games:

Injuries: See above. It's like M.A.S.H. up there.

Matchups:
Lillard v. Ronnie Price (5.4ppg, 3.5 apg, 1.5steals/g)
Matthews v. Jeremy Lin (10.6ppg, 4.6apg) /Nick “Swaggy P” Young (15.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 44% 3pt)
Batum v. Wesley Johnson (9.4ppg, 3.7rpg) Note, Johnson is day-to-day with a hip pointer. If he's out, then Wayne Ellington is in.
Aldridge v. Ed Davis (8.2ppg, 7.1rpg)
Leonard v. Jordan Hill (11.7ppg, 7.9rpg)

Power Rankings:
NBA.com (25) Pace: 97.7 (7), OffRtg: 103.9 (15), DefRtg: 109.7 (29), NetRtg: -5.8 (27)
Kobe Bryant hit some clutch shots this weekend (he's taken 16 more than anybody else this season), but it would be nice if he didn't have to overrule his coach and point guard when it's obviously time to foul. Carlos Boozer has better numbers (14.2 points per game on 57 percent shooting) coming off the bench than he did as a starter (12.4, 50 percent).
ESPN (24) No. 24 just became one of only three players in history, along with Wilt and J-Kidd, to post multiple triple-doubles in a single season at age 36 or older. Until Sunday, furthermore, Kobe had missed all five of his potential go-ahead shots with less than 15 seconds to go in the fourth quarter or overtime this season.
Covers.com (27) How will Kobe Bryant spend his new year? I'm guessing not with any of his teammates.
New York Post (26) Of Lakers’ nine wins, five have been against Warriors, Spurs, Raptors, Hawks and Rockets on road. Lakers grabbed 6-foot-11 Tarik Black, who was released by Rockets to make room for Josh Smith.

Grandpa Blaze's Prediction Game

Other L*ker Sites (for your viewing pleasure): L*kersGround nba.com

Final Thoughts: Of course I expect a blowout. I expect that with K*be out, there will be fewer purple and yellow jerseys around the Moda, and no opportunity for ridiculous “M-V-P” chants. I expect Dame to abuse Ronnie Price, and LMA to abuse Ed Davis. If we get into a jump-shooting-and-letting-them-transition, it will give them life (Young can really stroke it from 3). But even without our top 2 defensive bigs, Jordan Hill/Ed Davis/Robert Sacre shouldn’t be too much to handle. Then again, I said that against MIN. Stupid.
Us 122
Them 101

 

Much of Dame's rookie year. "Mentor" Until we could get Eric Maynor.