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Tuesday, August 18 – 6 p.m. PT
Blazers injuries: Rodney Hood (absent), Trevor Ariza (deactivated), Caleb Swanigan (deactivated), Zach Collins (retired), Nassir Little (retired)
Lakers injuries: Rajon Rondo (doubtful), Avery Bradley (disabled)
How to watch on TV: NBCSNW, TNT (or check out Fubo for your streaming needs)
Radio: 6:20 a.m.
SBN Affiliate: Silver screen and roller
The Portland Trail Blazers ran the gauntlet and came out alive, winning their seventh straight playoff appearance. After reaching eighth place in the West after the Ranking Games, they beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In game by a score of 126-122. Their reward? A best-of-seven series against seeded LeBron James and the Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers, for their part, slumped during the Seeding Games. After starting the Bubble with a 103-101 win over cross-stadium rivals the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers finished with a 3-5 record and plenty of open questions. It would be foolish to think that the Lakers are just here for the catch, but it seems likely that the Lakers will have to improve their game if they are to play in the next round.
To monitor
- Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr. Call of Captain Obvious Online O. Gallons of ink have been spent writing about the quality of Damian Lillard. Let’s stick to one point. Lillard has shown a strange ability to constantly find ways to improve. Right now, what Lillard does a lot better than he has ever done in his career is dealing with traps and blitzes. In the past we have seen teams send two defenders to Damian, forcing the ball out of his hands and out of play. In the bubble, teams have attempted this strategy at an unprecedented rate. For the first time in her career, Lillard has always been up to the task. He’s not only avoided the turnovers, staying close to his season turnover average despite the increased attention, but he’s finding different and effective ways to break the blitz. “Lillard Logo” is an option when teams are a bit slow to pick it up, while another option that he has actually used is to blow through the slower defender before he knows what hit him. , essentially using one defender to choose the other. The Blazers have also found success with Dame playing off the ball, using various off-the-ball picking schemes to release it. Lillard’s assists have also increased, reaching four times double digits in nine games. Not bad for a guy with a lifetime average of 6.5 per game.
- Free throws. The Blazers shot 84.2% in the bubble, the second-best among participating teams. The Lakers shot 72.4%, fourth worst. Portland has shot a higher percentage of the strip than its opponents in 8 of 9 games at Orlando so far, the only exception being in the loss to the Clippers. Looking at the scores in the box, Portland would likely be finishing exit interviews right now if they hadn’t gotten the freebies. Free throws could certainly be a huge factor for the Blazers, but only if they can reach the line at a clip similar to the Lakers. This aspect could be a problem. So far in the bubble, the Lakers have shot 4.2 more free throws per game than the Blazers.
- Make your shots open. The Blazers have been poor in the bubble to hit the open bucket, shooting 44.7% from court and 41.4% from depth when the closest defender is at least six feet away. In contrast, the Lakers were terrible, shooting just 36.2% from the field and 32.4% from three when wide open. If this trend continues, the Lakers may be in big trouble, pun intended. The Blazers believe they can shoot better than they have so far in the bubble, while the Lakers have no choice if they want to win. The Blazers should have a lot of open looks because of how serious Damian Lillard is, while the Lakers should have a lot of open looks because, well, they play the Blazers. If Portland can hit their open shots at a significantly better rate than Los Angeles hits theirs, it should be a good night for the guys at Rose City.
What they say
Lionel Hollins isn’t in the bubble due to health concerns, but that doesn’t mean he’s not doing his job, reports Tania Ganguli of the Los Angels Times:
Last month, the NBA determined that Hollins, one of Vogel’s top assistants, was not allowed to travel to Orlando due to health reasons. So for the past five weeks, Hollins has coached texts and videoconferences. His days, not filled with the back-and-forth of training, are rather busy training his son, negotiating with his granddaughter and watching a movie at the kitchen table.
It’s a hugely important season for Anthony Davis, and Christian Rivas of Silver Screen and Roll says he’s ready to step up:
This season, Davis helped the Los Angeles Lakers rise to the top of the Western Conference for the first time in a decade and the expectations for him and the team are as high as they’ve ever been. Davis knows this year will be unlike any other time he’s made the playoffs, and he’s looking forward to the challenge.
Let’s finish with Charles Curtis from USA Today’s For the Win. He says the Blazers are going to win the series. Read the article to find out how:
But after almost getting there by saying the Los Angeles Lakers should be afraid of the Blazers, let’s go: the Blazers are going to beat the Lakers in their first-round streak.
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