Preview: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte Hornets
By Ryan Allison
The Moda Center will be rocking once again tonight as the Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Charlotte Hornets. The Trail Blazers torched the Nuggets on Sunday (116-100), shooting 51.6 percent from distance. The Hornets had a poor performance in Los Angeles Sunday night, giving the Lakers their first win of the season. The action will once again be seen on CSNNW and heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
The Trail Blazers finally seem to be firing on all cylinders. The offense has averaged 106.8 points per game over their last four games. During the 1-2 start, the Trail Blazers were only averaging 96.7 points. Tonight’s game is the first of another back-to-back sequence and marks their third game in four days. Minutes are also an interesting stat to watch, especially with the heavy minutes the Trail Blazers starters tend to put in. So far this season, Portland’s two All-Stars have been able to rest and not play as many minutes as they have in the past. Aldridge is averaging 35.3 minutes while Lillard is only averaging 34.9 minutes, which is a career-low.
I predict that Head Coach Terry Stotts will keep up this trend tonight before the Trail Blazers play again tomorrow night in Denver. The loss of Batum for tonight’s game will also affect the rotation and minutes. I’m guessing Wright will get the start in place of Batum because he is the mst experienced reserve forward. Wright has played a total of six minutes this season, which came in the blow out win over the Mavericks, so it could also be that he is crowded out by a younger player like Will Barton.
Barton and C.J. McCollum seem to be coming into their own. Barton has always been the energetic spark off the bench yet he has played more controlled this season. He’s only averaging 10.8 minutes and hasn’t shot the ball entirely well but he hasn’t made the same mistakes that forced Stotts to limit him last year. McCollum is averaging fewer minutes than Barton (9.6) but is earning them at more pivotal points. He is shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range and can fill in well behind Matthews or Lillard. If the Trail Blazers starters can break it open tonight, we should see a heavy dose of Barton and McCollum.
The Charlotte Hornets are winless on the road this season. Their road woes continued on Sunday when they allowed the Lakers to shoot over 50.0 percent for the game and earn their first win of the season. Realistically, the Hornets are a few missed game-winners away from being 1-6 and have been very inconsistent. Walker lifted the Hornets over the Bucks in the season opener, hitting the game-winning shot with five seconds left in overtime, while Stephenson hit the game-winning shot in overtime on Friday to move the Hornets past the Hawks.
The struggle will probably continue tonight. The Trail Blazers defense has been very solid, holding opponents to 41.2 percent shooting and 94.6 points. I’m not sure the Hornets have the firepower to overcome those stifling numbers. Jefferson has been the only consistent player for the Hornets as he posted his fifth straight 20 point game on Sunday. Jefferson has averaged 17.1 points and 8.7 rebounds in his career against the Trail Blazers.
One thing to watch in this matchup will be who wins the battle on the glass. The Trail Blazers have rebounded very well to start the season (minus the Kings game) but they will be without Batum tonight, who has averaged 7.7 rebounds per game, which is second best on the team. The Hornets are only 12th in rebounding but Stephenson has started hot. As a guard, he is averaging 10.4 rebounds per contest– more than the highest Trail Blazer (Lopez at 8.0 rebounds). If the Trail Blazers can control the glass, a win will surely follow.