NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers’ March 30 matchup against the Golden State Warriors.Portland made a major comeback the last time these two played to make it a game late, but a strong start would have avoided having to do that. The key matchup in this one is going to be at the point guard position, as Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard have proven they can carry their teams. LaMarcus Aldridge is out.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers March 27 matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Portland is coming off of a five-game road trip; one in which saw the team go 2-3 against playoff opponents and one near-playoff team. The push for the playoffs begins now, and a win at home is the best way to start. The key matchup is going to be at the small forward position. Gerald Wallace and Nicolas Batum used to fight for the starting spot in PDX, but when the team turned Wallace in Damian Lillard, it instantly became Batum’s.
Bryant Knox breaks down what we learned about the Portland Trailblazers during their recent five-game road trip. Despite going 2-3 on the trip, we saw more good things than bad. LaMarcus Aldridge is playing like the best power forward in the NBA, as he’s more well-rounded than Blake Griffin and Kevin Love is sidelined with an injury. This team is going to fight no matter what its record is, but there’s no denying that the final month of the season is going to be tough when it comes to making the playoffs.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers March 24 matchup against the OKC Thunder. The Blazers began the current five-game road trip with two losses, but back-to-back wins over the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks have given fans hope that the playoffs might be a possibility. This group plays up to its competition, and that’s what it will have to do on Sunday. The key matchup is at the point guard position. Damian Lillard said coming into the year that he pictured himself being a Russell Westbrook-type point guard, and he’ll look to have a big game to close out the road trip.
Jason Hartzog previews the Portland Trail Blazers’ March 18 matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. Portland is coming off a 101-100 loss to the 76ers on Monday night. Jason says for Portland, they have to keep up this fire and intensity. Losing these close games is rough, but you have to keep fighting. This will be a hard fought game. Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum will have their work cut out for them guarding J.J. Redick and co.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers March 10 matchup against the New Orleans Hornets. Portland is coming off a dominant performance against the San Antonio Spurs. If there is a defining moment in this season, that game could be it, and it could be the one that sparks a push toward the postseason. The key matchup is going to be between Wesley Matthews and Eric Gordon T the 2-guard position.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 10 matchup against the Orlando Magic. Since the last time these two teams faced off, Portland has gone 7-10 while Orlando is just 2-15. The Magic are in the midst of the league’s longest losing streak, and Portland will look to take advantage of a struggling team come Sunday. The key matchup is between J.J. Hickson and Nikola Vucevic. Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Reddick are both questionable, while Glen Davis is out.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 8 matchup against the Houston Rockets. These two teams have faced off twice this year, and Portland has come out on top both times. Each team is fighting for the final playoff spots out West, and the winner of this one will be that much closer to acheiving their goal of the postseason. The key matchup in this one is between J.J. Hickson and Omer Asik, although watching Wesley Matthews defend James Harden will be fun to watch for all fans.
NWSB Editor and Insider talks about Portland’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. When Portland took the court against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, there were plenty of similarities between this contest and their game in Minnesota. The Blazers established a lead, could not find a way to continue building that lead in the second half, LaMarcus Aldridge had a monster game, and Nicolas Batum was still missing.
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about the Blazers’ victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night in Minnesota. Portland entered the fourth quarter leading the T-Wolves 77-58, a relatively large margin by NBA standards. But despite this big lead, the game turned interesting as Minnesota was able to put on an impressive fourth quarter, scoring 40 points along the way. A huge block by LaMarcus Aldridge that stopped what could have been a game-tying shot with the clock winding down.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 4 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This will be the third time that these two teams have faced off this year, and Portland is 2-0 in the series. In fact, since the 2008-08 season, the Blazers are 19-2 against Minnesota. The key matchup in this one is between J.J. Hickson and Nikola Pekovic. For Minnesota, Kevin Love and Brandon Roy are out with injuries. For PDX, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and Ronnie Price are all day-to-day.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 2 matchup against the Utah Jazz. This game is going to be the second of a back-to-back series. Portland failed to earn a vicotry in the first game of the home-and-home matchup, and they’ll look to get revenge just 24 hours after losing by nine points. The key matchup in this one is going to be between Damian Lillard and the rest of the Jazz point guards.
