Jabari Parker (ACL) done for the year, Trail Blazers test Bucks
By Ryan Allison
Tonight at 7:00 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers host the Milwaukee Bucks. The Trail Blazers hope to finish a short, two-game home stand with a win before heading back out on the road for four straight. With a win, the Bucks will be within one win of their total from last season. The game can be viewed on CSNNW and heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Coming off a long, five-game road trip, the Trail Blazers were happy to be home on Monday. They hosted a San Antonio Spurs team on the second game of a back-to-back, which meant coach Gregg Popovich was resting his stars. Nevertheless, the Spurs are a deep team and have potential to beat any team without their stars. The Trail Blazers got the win but lost a vital part of their early season success.
Lopez fractured his hand in Monday’s win over the Spurs and will leave a big hole in the Trail Blazers’ game plan. He isn’t the most flashy player but he does things on the offensive and defensive side of the ball that are irreplaceable. Lopez protects the rim and has helped the Trail Blazers improve their overall defense this season. His scoring can be replaced but the pick and roll play will take huge hit. Kaman will most likely get the start for Lopez, showing why he was such a big offseason acquisition. Kaman can provide more scoring, but his main weakness is his defense. With Lopez out 6-7 weeks, Kaman will have to find a way to help the Trail Blazers protect the paint.
That task might be tough to accomplish in tonight’s game. The Bucks are very effective inside, posting 50 points or more in the paint in three of their last four games. This will be the Bucks’ second game of a four-game road trip. They started the road trip with a last second win in Phoenix on Monday. Middleton threw up a prayer and banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to secure the 96-94 win over the Suns. But like the Trail Blazers, the Bucks also saw a loss in the wake of a victory.
Oct 31, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 93-81. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Parker was forced out of the game with what was thought to be a sprained left knee. However, last night, it was reported that Parker will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. That is an enormous blow to this Bucks team. In his rookie season, Parker has solidified his spot in the starting lineup. He is the Bucks’ second leading scorer (12.3 per game) and third in rebounds (5.5). Add on the fact that over his last seven games he was shooting 58.9 percent from the floor. Middleton will most likely be added to the starting rotation and he will be a good fit. He’s scored 14 points in each of the last two games and should be feeling pretty good after hitting the game-winner.
I felt like Monday’s matchup between Kawhi Leonard and Batum would be more exciting then it turned out to be. Tonight, we have another intriguing small forward battle. Antetokounmpo is a freak athlete. He has proven he belongs in the NBA and has really opened some eyes this season. He is averaging a shade under Parker at 12.2 points per game but has averaged 15.0 over his last five games. He could be playing power forward tonight for size purposes, but, like Batum, he is a versatile wing.
Looking at the big picture, the most important thing to watch tonight will be how well the Trail Blazers clean the glass in the absence of Lopez, as it might be a preview of the weeks to come. The Bucks are 26th in the league in rebounding while the Trail Blazers are first. Without Lopez, the rebounding will probably take a slight dip. The Trail Blazers must get quality rebounding efforts from Batum, Aldridge, and Kaman to continue leading the league and to help them continue to win games.