ponedjeljak, 17.12.2007.
BEZ ODENA I ALDRIDGEA: Nizom od 7 pobjeda Portland došao na 50.0%, Roy na 24.1PTS/L5...
PREDVODNIK NEW LOOK T-BLAZERSA - SG BRANDON ROY
KOŠARKA JE IGRA NIZOVA:
Trail Blazers Look To Make It 8 In A Row
Seven wins and counting. At least the Trail Blazers hope to continue the count Monday when they play the New Orleans Hornets for the 3rd time this season.
The Trail Blazers seem to be unstoppable right now. They are the hottest team in the Western Conference, only the Celtics are currently on a larger winning streak. Portland picked up their 7th continuous victory on Sunday against the Nuggets, the same team who snapped the Blazers second largest streak this season, when they grabbed 4 wins in a row at home. This time the Hornets are hoping to be the spoiler, but with the way Portland has been performing, combined with their home wins record this season (9/3), it won’t be easy.
That’s not to say maintaining their hot streak is going to be simple for Portland. The Hornets, 15-9, are having an incredibly strong season of their own. The young Hornets team is hot off a victory in Phoenix, and if they can take out the number 2 team in the western conference, then Portland is faced with a serious challenge. Both teams picked up a victory off the other this season, and this 3rd match-up will be the tie- breaker. So fans can expect a high energy-and high scoring- affair. Last game Portland had a new season high with 61 points at the half, and with Aldridge returning to the line-up, they might surpass that.
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The Portland team has been playing incredible in the absence of Aldridge who has been out with an injury the past 4 games. This is due mostly to the stand out performances of the bench. Channing Frye has filled Aldridge’s shoes successfully, especially on Sunday when he scored 14 points in the first quarter alone. The team must continue to play in this fashion even with Aldridge’s return - as the combination will be unstoppable.
Brandon Roy will be matched up with Chris Paul, the Hornets’ leading scorer- averaging 21.5 points this season. Roy has led Portland in scoring, averaging 18 points. Roy can expect to be double teamed excessively, so he’ll have to concentrate on delivering assists as much as gathering his own baskets.
Joel Pryzbilla has been a standout player for Portland this season, and he will be a key factor when it comes to blocks and rebounding, two big factors in their last victory. He will have to battle Tyson Chandler for those R’s, which will be a tough match as the New Orleans’ center has averaged 11 a game this season.
This will be LaMarcus Aldridge’s first game back, and immediately upon returning he is faced with the great task of taking on power forward David West. West played phenomenally in their last game against Portland, scoring 34 points in that match-up. So defending West will be crucial, they need to try to hold him to single digits to take the victory.
BULLS vs SPURS 1995/96 – MJ23 38pts, 9 rebounds, 4 steals: This is the 10th game of the Bulls' historic 1995-96 season, where they end the regular season with a record of 72-10. This win was their 4th straight, improving their record to 9-1. Jordan was his usual self, coolly dropping an efficient 38 points. His impeccable mid-range game was on display here as he sank his smooth fade-aways all night long.
The Trail Blazer team never likes to disappoint the home crowd, and the confidence they’ve gained over this winning streak can certainly carry them to that 8th straight victory, making this the game to see.
The game airs locally at 7 pm on Comcast Sports Network.
Devan Cook
WWW.BLAZERS.COM
