Team Records: Memphis (42-19) at Portland (29-33)

Game Info: 7 p.m., TV on KGW, radio on 1190 AM and 102.3 FM.

Vegas Line: Memphis -1.5

Refs: Marc Davis, Tre Maddox, Zach Zarba

The Skinny: The Blazers look to rebound from their collapse in Memphis last week as they open a three game homestand against the surging Grizzlies.  Memphis has now lost only once in the last month and a half, and that was to the even hotter Miami Heat.  This is the second of three times Portland will face Memphis in the last month and a half of the season.

Last Time They Met: Portland blew a 17 point third quarter lead as the offense went cold late.  Ex-Blazer Jerryd Bayless provided the spark off the bench for Memphis.

Projected Grizzlies Lineup: 

PF: Ed Davis (North Carolina, 4^th season) – 8.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1 APG

SF: Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky, 11^th season) – 11.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.5 APG

C: Marc Gasol (Spain, 5^th season) – 13.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.9 APG

SG: Tony Allen (Oklahoma State, 9^th season) – 8.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.2 APG

PG: Michael Conley (Ohio State, 6^th season) – 13.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 5.9 APG

Image Courtesy of theadvocate.com

Player to Watch: Marc Gasol (pictured at right) – He might have been the less heralded of the Gasol brothers when his career began but right now Marc is clearly outclassing his brother.  Unlike many European big men, Marc isn’t just a big body who shoots mid range jumpers and has trouble playing interior defense and rebounding.  Instead, Marc is a banger inside, an excellent defender and rebounder who, although not the greatest leaper in the world, is seemingly always in the right position.  Marc has a great feel for the high post on offense and has dramatically improved his free throw shooting this year as well (up to 86.5% from a career average of around 72-74%).  He is sometimes a bit too unselfish on offense but when he is in full attack mode he is a tough player to stop on offense and to score against on defense.

Did You Know?: Michael Conley has recorded a steal in a franchise-record 52 straight games, easily the longest active streak in the NBA this season.

Song of the Day: “Live to Win” by Paul Stanley.  This team certainly hasn’t given up on their slim playoff hopes, fighting to win every game so this song seemed appropriate.  Enjoy:

Injury Updates:

Portland: Out – SG Elliot Williams (Achilles), SF Sasha Pavlovic (Quad), Doubtful-SF Victor Claver (Ankle), Questionable-C Meyers Leonard (Ankle).

Memphis: Questionable-PF Zach Randolph (Ankle), PF Darrel Arthur (Neck/Back)

Re-Evaluating Memphis: John Hollinger’s Portland Connection

When Memphis hired John Hollinger as their VP of Basketball Operations earlier this season, Hollinger became the second ex-Oregonian employee to hold a key personnel role in an NBA team (the other is of course David Kahn).  Hollinger served as Oregonlive’s sports editor for three years in the late 90s/early 2000s.  During that time, Hollinger developed his much total Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which is now probably the single most cited advanced stat in the NBA today.  He may have left Portland but Portland hasn’t left him, as anyone who follows Hollinger on Twitter and sees his constant jokes about Portland and bike lanes knows.

The Bottom Line:

Portland wins if: They take care of the ball. If Portland doesn’t turn the ball against Memphis, they will take away Memphis’ primary offensive weapon and stand a good chance of beating them.

Memphis wins if: They are able to stretch the Portland defense. Memphis is not a great jump shooting team. If they can reverse that, get hot tonight and stretch the Portland defense, opening up the inside to easy baskets, they should be able to score enough points to win.

Team Records: Portland (29-32) at New Orleans (21-42)

Game Info: 4 p.m., TV on CSNNW, Radio on 1190 AM and 102.3 FM

Vegas Line: Portland -2

Refs: Derrick Stafford, Kevin Fehr, Gary Zielinski

The Skinny:  Fresh off a blowout win over the Spurs on Friday, the Blazers look to get some vengeance for their worst loss of the season as they travel to face the struggling Hornets.  Portland scored more points in the second half on Friday than they did in their last visit to New Orleans.  The Hornets are running a three game losing streak but are often competitive even if they mostly lose.

Last Time They Met: The Blazers scored the fifth fewest points in franchise history, managing only 63 as the Hornets routed them in Portland’s worst game of the year.

Projected Hornets Lineup:

PF: Anthony Davis (Kentucky, Rookie) – 12.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, .9 APG

SF: Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest, 3^rd season) – 7.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.4 APG

C: Robin Lopez (Stanford, 5^th season) – 11.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, .8 APG

SG: Eric Gordon (Indiana, 5^th Season) – 16.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 3.2 APG

PG: Greivis Vasquez (Maryland, 3^rd season) – 13.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 9.4 APG

Image Courtesy of nola.com

 Player to Watch: Eric Gordon (pictured at right) – It has not been an easy transition for Eric Gordon. The centerpiece of the Chris Paul trade from the New Orleans perspective, Gordon has been consistently hurt ever since moving to New Orleans.  After signing an offer sheet last season, the Hornets matched it and Gordon has not been living up to his end of the bargain.  He’s a good scorer when healthy but his defense isn’t great, oh and he keeps getting hurt.  Still, if he can stay healthy, he could be a key piece for the soon to be named Pelicans.

Did You Know?:  Vasquez and Lopez are the only Hornets players to start every game this year.

Song of the Day: “The City of New Orleans” as performed by Arlo Guthrie.  Seems appropriate for tonight’s game.  Enjoy:

Injury Updates:

Portland: Out – SG Elliot Williams (Achilles), Doubtful-SF Sasha Pavlovic (Quad), Questionable- SG Victor Claver (Ankle), C Meyers Leonard (Ankle).

New Orleans: Out –C Jason Smith (Shoulder). SG Austin Rivers (Hand).

Re-Evaluating New Orleans: Playing with Heart

Many bad teams just mail it in and simply collect their paychecks, too easily giving up when the going gets tough, such as Charlotte.  New Orleans is not one of those teams.  They rarely win but their point differential of only -3.6 shows that they usually fight hard.  New Orleans may not have the talent to win games, which is why they are in full rebuilding mode, but you cannot accuse Monty William’s bunch of failing to give it their all.  If only we could say the same about Portland on a nightly basis.

The Bottom Line:

Portland wins if: They are focused. The Blazers have fallen victim to some lazy stretches at times this season. If they can avoid those, they should get the win they want Sunday in New Orleans.

New Orleans wins if: They make at least 10 three-pointers. When the Hornets do well, they typically make a lot of three-pointers. With questionable inside scoring, the Hornets will have to be feeling it from deep to have a chance Sunday.

Team Records: Portland (28-32) at San Antonio (48-14)

Game Info: 5:30 PM-TV on CSNNW, Radio on 1190 AM and 102.3 FM.

Vegas Line: San Antonio -11.5

Refs: Scott Foster, John Goble, Kevin Scott

The Skinny: After blowing a big lead in a loss in Memphis on Wednesday, the Blazers face what may be a near unwinnable game for them on the road against the NBA best Spurs.  The Spurs are without Tony Parker but honestly injuries don’t seem to effect them much  The Spurs have always been a team that excels at having a deep bench that, even if not as talented as many, certainly is coached so well it plays far above its talent level. This is Portland’s only visit to San Antonio this season.

Last Time They Met: Lillard took over late as Portland help off a late Spurs charge and give Portland the win.

Projected Spurs Lineup:

PF-Tim Duncan (Wake Forest-16^th Season) 16.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.7 APG.

SF-Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State-2^nd Season)-11 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.4 APG.

C-Tiago Splitter (Brazil-3^rd Season)-10.5 PPG, 6 RPG, 1.4 APG

SG-Danny Green (North Carolina-4^th Season)-10.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.6 APG.

PG-Cory Joseph (Texas-2^nd Season)-3.1 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 1.5 APG.

Image Courtesy of blog.mysantonio.com

Player to Watch: Tim Duncan (pictured at right)-Maybe it’s the fact that he plays in a small market or maybe it’s the fact that Tim Duncan has never craved the spotlight like many of his peers but Duncan has perhaps never been fully appreciated as a player.  Duncan is the premier PF of his generation, a surefire first ballot hall of famer and as smart as the Spurs have been with building the rest of their team, they probably don’t win a single title if they don’t get lucky all those years ago and win the Draft Lottery and thus Tim Duncan.  Duncan is aging gracefully as well, with numbers this season not that far below his career averages.  Although Duncan can’t have many more years left in him, this quiet superstar will keep working hard to play as well as he can until he finally decides to ride off into the proverbial sunset.

Did You Know?: The Spurs and Blazers have been evenly matched for years, with the Spurs holding a narrow 74-73 lead in the all-time series against the Blazers.

Song of the Day: “I Believe I Can Fly” by R Kelly-One of the top songs the year Tim Duncan was drafted, it was initially released as part of the movie “Space Jam”.  Enjoy:  

Injury Updates:

Portland: Out – SG Elliot Williams (Achilles), Doubtful-SF Sasha Pavlovic (Quad)

San Antonio: Out- PG Tony Parker (Ankle)

Re-Evaluating the Spurs: One Unique Pop

Coach Gregg Popovich (more commonly known as “Pop”) is unlike any other coach in the NBA.  Pop is caustic, with a sense of humor all his own but a genius that is unmatched certainly by any active NBA head coach.  Poppovich may not be the most media friendly coach in the NBA but he certainly gets the most out of his times, year in and year out.  This is perhaps best shown by the fact that nearly every player on a Spurs roster in a given year ends up playing the key role in at least one win for them.  Such of this is the superb talent evaluation of their GM but a lot of it is their coaching.  When Pop retires, perhaps when Tim Duncan himself does, it will end one of the most successful coaching runs in NBA history.

The Bottom Line:

Portland wins if:  They play very well and get a little lucky.  The Spurs are better than Portland and at home are nearly unbeatable.  Portland will have to play very well and catch the Spurs on an off night to have a chance of winning.

San Antonio wins if: They play their game.  The Spurs, even without Parker, are a very good team and if they play close to their normal game, it should be a routine home win for the team with the NBA’s best record.

Team Records: Portland (28-31) at Memphis (39-19)

Game Info: 5 p.m., TV on CSNNW, radio on 1190 AM and 102.3 FM.

Vegas Line: Memphis -8

Refs: Mike Callahan, Haywoode Workman, Sean Wright

The Skinny: The Blazers begin a three game road trip in Memphis fresh off two straight easy wins over two of the NBA’s weakest teams in Charlotte and Minnesota.  This is the first of three games between the two teams in about the next month.  Memphis comes in having won nine of their last ten, with their only loss being to the even hotter Miami Heat.

Last Time They Met: Portland won an ugly grind it out affair against the Grizzlies, holding Memphis to only 12 fourth quarter points to hang on for a narrow two-point win.

Projected Grizzlies Lineup: 

PF: Zach Randolph (Michigan State, 12^th season) – 15.7 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 1.5 APG

SF: Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky, 11^th season) – 11.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.5 APG

C: Marc Gasol (Spain, 5^th season) – 13.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.9 APG

SG: Tony Allen (Oklahoma State, 9^th season) – 8.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.2 APG

PG: Michael Conley (Ohio State, 6^th season) – 13.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 5.9 APG

Image Courtesy of bigstory.ap.org

Player to Watch: Zach Randolph (pictured at right) – Okay, Blazer fans know a lot about Zach, that mid-first round pick back a decade ago that turned out to be a good, if deeply troubled, player.  His troubles off the court are well documented, and we need not go into them here (let’s just say that his “Hoop Family” has gotten him into a fair amount of trouble at times) but Zach on the court has been just as up and down.  After leaving Portland he bounced around the league a bit before landing in Memphis, where he looks, for the first time in his NBA career, to be truly at home.  A nearly automatic double double, Zach may not be one of the NBA’s absolute best but he is constantly on the cusp of the all star discussion, and probably deserves to have more than two appearances.  Although he has struggled at times to stay healthy this season, when he is healthy he is a key factor for the Grizzlies as they look to make a playoff push. 

Did You Know?: Portland has won three of the last four and fourteen of the last eighteen against the Grizzlies.

Song of the Day: “The Thrill is Gone” by BB King.  One of my favorite songs of all time by Memphis resident and legendary musician BB King.  Enjoy:

Injury Updates:

Portland: Out – SG Elliot Williams (Achilles), Doubtful-SF Sasha Pavlovic (Quad)

Memphis: Questionable-PF Zach Randolph (Ankle)

Re-Evaluating Memphis: Have They Squandered Their Opportunity?

When Memphis finally pulled the trigger this season on the long rumored trade to ship out Rudy Gay, many in the NBA media speculated that they had given up their legit chances of winning it all.  To be honest, its hard to believe they had a legit shot either way, because while Gay was a good player, they were still a step behind the NBA’s elite and baring a Dallas 2011-style crazy run to a title, they could hardly be expected to win it all.  Instead, they cleaned up their finances a bit and improved their flexibility for the next several years.  Whether this leads to big things is anyone’s guess but its hard to say they squandered a title chance if they never really had one to begin with.

The Bottom Line:

Portland wins if: They take care of the ball. If Portland doesn’t turn the ball against Memphis, they will take away Memphis’ primary offensive weapon and stand a good chance of beating them.

Memphis wins if: They are able to stretch the Portland defense. Memphis is not a great jump shooting team. If they can reverse that, get hot tonight and stretch the Portland defense, opening up the inside to easy baskets, they should be able to score enough points to win.