The Portland Trail Blazers surprised the critics and delighted the fans by winning their first two games. It’s time for the next test. It’s Sunday’s matinee against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Blazers kicked off their home schedule Friday night, Phoenix SunsDamian Lillard defied the skeptics with 41 points, but had important contributions from the top and bottom of the roster. Jusuf Nurkic in particular received special praise for his 20 points and 17 rebounds.
At the other end of the emotional scale are the Lakers, who lost their first two games. It’s never a good sign if fans spend more time creating fake deals than supporting their team. I’m here. If they can drop a few more shots, they could turn into a damaging team in the West.
Sunday, October 23 – 12:30 PM PT
How to watch on TV: Root Sports Plus, SPECSN, NBA League Pass
Blazer injuries: Gary Payton II (out), Olivier Sur (out), Trendon Watford (out)
Lakers injuries: LeBron James (Possible), Anthony Davis (Possible), Tony Brown Jr. (Possible), Dennis Schroeder (Out), Thomas Bryant (Out), Cole Swinder (Out),
SBN Affiliates: silver screen and roll
match up
- Russell Westbrook. It’s hard to overstate how badly the Lakers have shot in the last two games. Westbrook isn’t the only one responsible for the Lakers’ shooting problem, but he’s certainly the most despised by fans and those who cover the Lakers.Obviously, the sample size is small, but he’s the one off the field. He’s shooting 30.4% and 11.1% of him microscopic from deep. Westbrook has his two ways of helping the team improve. Shoot or stop shooting. Portland would be wise to encourage Westbrook to see what’s behind Door One. Expect to see a Blazers defender actually begging him to run away, especially from behind Ark.
- Please be careful about replacement. The Blazers and Lakers are tied for 19th-worst ever turnovers this young season, at 16 per game. But the Lakers are second best at forcing turnovers in the NBA to date, with opponents committing an average of 20.5 per game. That’s an average of four more turnovers a Lakers opponent has than a Portland opponent. Winning the turnover battle could be the key to winning this game.
- grab momentum. Lakers fans are restless. After opening with two losses, many Lakers supporters already have visions of another lost season with an aging and decrepit LeBron on the roster. Portland can use it to their advantage or suffer the consequences. If the Blazers can catch up to the Lakers, LeBron and company will face not only Portland players, but also his 20,000 fans in the arena. Even LeBron may not be strong enough to carry that load. Keeping the Lakers from gaining momentum will be absolutely key to Portland’s winning streak.
what others are saying
Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register There is a problem with the roster, and there are no easy answers for the Lakers.
In their first two games, the Lakers have the lowest offensive rating in the NBA (94.5 points per 100 possessions). The small sample size, done to his two prospective title contenders, and the roster nearly being reworked, early results were jarring: The Lakers dropped from his 3-point range to 85. On 19, he contributed to an overall shooting success rate of 38.8%.
Russell Westbrook? Bill Plaschki of the Los Angeles Times Don’t choke on words.
They cannot move forward with him. Because of him, they will eventually fall into oblivion. They must be missing him now.
Despite starting the season 0-2, Cooper Halpern of Silver Screen and Roll I see reason to be optimistic about the Lakers.
After two games against some of the best defenses in the league, the Lakers are averaging the fifth-most open 3s per game. If it keeps up, they could definitely get into some serious positive setbacks that boost their aggressive ratings.
