Blazers (15-14) @NY Knicks

Portland has had a surprisingly good start, and a great end to 2012.  The team kicks off 2013 on a 4 game road trip.  The Blazers have been much better at home, posting only a 4-10 record away from the Rose Garden.  The match-up against New York is intriguing.  Carmelo Anthony is a game time decision, Amare Stoudemire is making his return from injury, and Blazer fan least favorite Raymond Felton is out with an injury.  JR Smith has played well for New York, Chandler has kept the interior defense solid, and Novak has in the building range on his jump shot.  Just as Amare is coming back, Portland's starting 2 guard Wesley Matthews could be making a return tonight from his hip flexor injury.  His addition to Portland's roster could be the difference in winning or losing this game.  Here are the keys to winning tonight's match-up:

1. Win the rebound battle- Easier said than done.  Hickson's motor on the glass has been fantastic, and he needs to keep it up.  The Knicks rebound well from every position so this will be a team effort.
2. Lillard scores 25-  Jason Kidd is crafty, but shouldn't be able to stay in front of Lillard for most of the game.  With his quick first step, he could find lots of open jump shots from the elbow. 
3. Limit Stoudemire to 10 points- Especially if Anthony is unable to play, Stoudemire should look to score often.  I would defend him with Aldridge, whose length should affect many facets of Amare's game.  If he is forced into shooting many 18-footers, he should be limited offensively to only a few field goals.