Portland gets Sacramento for the 4th and final time this year tonight at 7. Sacramento has had a dismal season, winning only 9 games to 18 losses, and winning only one game on the road. Any guesses on where their only road win came? If you guessed the Rose Garden you would be correct. Sacramento has played well in the last 2 games against Portland, even without DeMarcus Cousins in the last game, and most likely without him tonight as well. This is a must win for Portland to get over .500 again, and build some momentum going into January. The West is far superior to the East again this season, and playoffs will not be achieved with an even win loss record. Hollinger currently projects, in his playoff odds, that it will take 44 wins to make the playoffs, though looking at the teams in contention for the last spot it could take more than 44. Tonight is a big game, as Portland needs to take care of marginal opponents, something the team has struggled with over the season (losses to SAC, DET, WAS...)
Keys to the game:
1. LaMarcus Aldridge scores 20 and grabs 10 boards. Against bigs of Thompson and Robinson, LA should have no problem scoring 20, though grabbing 10 boards will be more difficult. He needs to be aggressive tonight. *Side Note- LA deserves to be an All-Star (20/8/2/1/1 stat line), but the Blazers need to win games and LA needs to keep putting up numbers. Beating up on an inexperienced Kings front line could be important for this cause.
2. Keep turnovers under 12. Damian Lillard has been a stud, and both Batum and Matthews have performed better with the ball in their hands, but these 3 players account for 7 turnovers a game. If the ball handlers take care of the ball (Matthews is out again tonight), we can get a lead early and hold onto it late.
3. Win the rebound battle. If LA and JJ post double doubles, this cause will be helped. Allowing Sacramento to stay in the game, by allowing offensive boards, and thus second chances, would be a major mistake for the Blazers squad.
GO BLAZERS!!!
Bonus Note- The Kings are in quite the predicament given the recent behavior of Cousins. He has been a cancer to his team, which is a shame given his talent. Many analysts on ESPN, and around the internet, think the Kings should trade Cousins, even though his trade stock is low. I think Geoff Petrie should make a move for a veteran big to mentor Cousins. Players like Anderson Varejao, Chris Kaman, or Utah's 2 bigs (Jefferson and Millsap) could be available given their teams poor performances, or depth at the position. Sacramento should look to acquire Al Jefferson as their top priority(given that he will re-sign), building a package around Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas to get him. The Kings are a long ways away from competing, and they should not give up on Cousins just yet.
GO BLAZERS!!
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