@ Day/Date: Saturday, 12/13/03 At: Rose Garden Time: 7:00 pm(PT) TV: Local Portland Trailblazers: 10-10 Quick fact: Blazers have been very solid at home this season winning all their games at home as they stand at a 10-2 record in the Rose Garden, and a 10-10 record overall. Previous 3 games - December 7th, Loss 93-79 @ Memphis High Pts: Z. Randolph 29 High Reb: Z. Randolph 13 - December 9th, Loss 91-93 @ Houston High Pts: Z. Randolph 31 High Reb: Z. Randolph 11 - December 10th, Loss 102-77 @ San Antonio High Pts: R. Wallace 23 High Reb: D.Davis 13 Los Angeles Lakers: 18-3 Quick fact: Lakers have done most of their damage at home, but this time they will hit the road where they are 5-3, with those 3 games all coming to road losses. Previous 3 games - December 4th, Win 114-103 @ Dallas High Pts: K. Bryant 32 High Reb: S. O'neal 19 - December 7th, Win vs Utah High Pts: K. Bryant 19 High Reb: S. O'neal 15 - December 9th, Win 98-90 vs New York High Pts: K. Bryant 21 High Reb: S. O'neal 15 Probale Starters Frontcourt Shaquille O'neal/Dale Davis http://www.nba.com/playerfile/zach_randolp...x.html?nav=page[/img]Karl Malone/Dale Davis Deavan George/Rasheed Wallace Backcourt Kobe Bryant/Jeff Mcinnis Gary Payton/Damon Stoudamire Keys to the game Blazers - Have to hit those outside shots, Portland won't get much inside with defenders like Malone and Shaq in there. - Have to take advantage of being at home, control the tempo of the game, play solid defense. Lakers - Play your game, don't let being on the road bother you, run the offense and the transition like we always do and the Lakers should be fine. - Give the ball to Shaq, and let him eat through the defense, run the transition early, jump out to an early lead, and maintain the tempo for the rest of the game. Current Team Leaders Blazers - Points: Zach Randolph (22.5) - Rebounds: Zach Randolph (11.0) - Assists: Assists: Jeff Mcinnis (5.0) Lakers - Points: Kobe Bryant (21.8) - Rebounds: Shaquille O'neal (11.7) - Assists: Gary Payton (6.4) Key Match-up Zach Randolph vs Karl Malone This match-up can get phyiscal The 'X' factor Will the Blazers be able to shut down Shaq Daddy? My predictions Lakers win in a close one where the leads change a lot in the game. I take the Lakers by 4.
