Jan. 23, 2012; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) is called for a foul as he defends Sacramento Kings power forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the first quarter of the game at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

Blazers: 13-9 (4^th Northwest Division)

Kings: 6-15 (5^th Pacific Division)

Game Details: Power Balance Pavilion Sacramento, CA. 7:00 PM. TV: CSN. Radio: 750 AM (KXTG)

Projected Blazers Starting Lineup: PG Raymond Felton (#5, 6’1’’, North Carolina), SG Wesley Matthews (#2, 6’5’’, Marquette), SF Gerald Wallace (#3, 6’7’’, Alabama), PF LaMarcus Aldridge (#12, 6’11’’, Texas), C Marcus Camby (#23, 6’11’’, Massachusetts)

Projected Kings Starting Lineup: PG Tyreke Evans (#13, 6’6’’, Kentucky), SG Jimmer Fredette (#7, 6’2’’, Brigham Young), SF John Salmons (#5, 6’6’’, Miami), PF Jason Thompson (#34, 6’11’’, Rider), C DeMarcus Cousins (#15, 6’11’’, Kentucky)

This is going to be a taking care of business game. It’s been proven that Portland can win at home, and win big. It has yet to be proven that they can win in anybody else’s home. I know that’s been said a thousand ways, and it is getting as boring and repetitive to write as I’m sure it is to read.

But the truth is clear and simple: The Blazers will be doomed to second tier in the Playoffs until they can get some road victories. And the focus will be squarely on this team’s performances outside of the Rose Garden until they find their groove and start taking care of business.

Really, there’s no better way to start than on the road against Sacramento. This Kings team has been in relative stages of turmoil since day one of 2011-12. They’ve lost five straight, they’ve had some untimely injuries, and they just haven’t been playing good basketball.

The Blazers knocked the Kings off twice already at home, but times by limiting Sacramento’s scorers and daring DeMarcus Cousins to do something worthwhile on the court. That formula should work at Power Balance nee Arco.

So defense is taken care of. But let’s be honest, what’s been killing Portland on the road hasn’t really been defense. The Blazers, as a team minus LaMarcus Aldridge, have had trouble getting it going on offense without the help of the friendly Rose Garden crowd.

Sacramento isn’t going to be the type of team that is going to play a lot of high-pressure defense. That’s good for Portland. Although it probably won’t give them too much to work with, game-tape wise, there’s no better shot in the arm than having a night when offense comes easy in a hostile environment.

Portland’s offensive scheme should be pretty standard at this point: attack, attack, attack. Again, the Kings are a team that isn’t better than the Blazers at any position. You could argue that DMC has an advantage over Marcus Camby when it comes to offense, but it will take more than just platitudes about potential to convince me.

LaMarcus might have a little trouble with a physical and athletic defender like Jason Thompson, but he’s prone to getting into foul trouble early then disappearing. John Salmons can only hope to contain Gerald Wallace. Ever time Wesley Matthews gets the ball he should got at Jimmer Fredette, the rook has yet to prove he can guard NBA players. The Tyreke Evans/Raymond Felton matchup might be an x-factor, but Tyreke can’t beat a team like the Blazers all by his lonesome.

Portland has an opportunity to get this month off to a really great star by putting together back-to-back blowouts before facing a good Denver team at home. Beating the Kings in SacTown won’t be quite as easy as beating the Bobcats in Portland, but that’s no excuse. Losing to Sacramento at any point of any season and in any location is the opposite of taking care of business.

I won’t give you anything I watching for, because I’m still traveling and probably won’t be able to watch any of this one either. I’ll be back to actually watching games by Saturday I promise.

Email me: mike.acker1@gmail.com

Twitter: @mikekacker | @ripcityproject

Kemba Walker is the newest new face of the Charlotte Bobcats. Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

Blazers: 12-9 (4^th Northwest Division)

Bobcats: 3-19 (5^th Southeast Division)

Game Details: Rose Garden Arena, Portland, OR. 7:00 PM. TV: CSN. Radio: 750 AM (KXTG)

Projected Blazers Starting Lineup: PG Raymond Felton (#5, 6’1’’, North Carolina), SG Wesley Matthews (#2, 6’5’’, Marquette), SF Gerald Wallace (#3, 6’7’’, Alabama), PF LaMarcus Aldridge (#12, 6’11’’, Texas), C Marcus Camby (#23, 6’11’’, Massachusetts)

Projected Bobcats Starting Lineup: PG Kemba Walker (#1, 6’1’’, Connecticut), SG Gerald Henderson (#15, 6’4’’, Duke), SF Boris Diaw (#32, 6’8’’,Cormeille-en-Parisis, France), PF Tyrus Thomas (#12, 6’10’’, Louisiana State,), C DeSagana Diop (#7, 7’, Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA)

The Blazers are going to be tested more than once in the month of February, but hopefully not this first night out. Charlotte is a lottery team most years, and they were last year. That lottery pick turned into the University of Connecticut’s Kemba Walker. Kemba’s a good player, but he’s not the kind of player that turns a lottery team into a contender on his own.

So let’s take it as read that this game is Portland’s to lose. How will the Blazers not lose this game? Well that’s pretty simple, show up. And since Wednesday’s contest is at the Rose Garden, and not some other team’s home gym, I doubt very much Portland won’t show up.

Although no game is an automatic win, Wednesday will be as close as it comes. That doesn’t mean the Bobcats are going to roll over and let Portland beat them by 40. What it does mean, though, is that the Blazers should come out with the intention of beating this team by 40. It probably won’t happen, but bringing energy early and making this a two or three quarter game, instead of a four quarter game, could go a long way to set the tone for the rest of what will turn out to be a crucial month of this campaign.

A couple of things to watch for:

• Elliot Williams: Nicolas Batum is out for this one with a bone contusion. It very easily could have been worse, so let’s all be glad that it’s not. The silver lining, if you want to think of it as that, is that without Batum in the lineup, one of Portland’s reserves is going to get a chance for some real minutes.  Coach Nate McMillan has designated that those minutes are going to go to Elliot Williams. This should be interesting. Williams probably circled this data on his calendar preseason as one of the games he had a shot of getting in to. Now he’s in for sure. Elliot can play, there’s no doubt about that, the question is can he play when it’s not garbage time. Against Phoenix, Williams got some minutes and made the most of them. As a garbage time player there’s no reason he shouldn’t shoot the rock every time he touches it. We’ll see if Elliot has the basketball skill to defer to his teammates should he be in the game when it’s close and his jumpers aren’t falling.
• Wesley Matthews: Wesley Matthews has been on a streak of horrible games. He’s been working on getting to the rim to try and make up for the fact that his shooting has been down right terrible. That’s good; I could handle more of that. What Wesley really needs to do is have a big shooting night. He tends to play a lot better at home, with the Rose Garden crowd behind him. I can see a game that includes four or five threes for Wes being just the thing he needs to get over his shooting woes.
• Can Portland avoid a bounce-back game from Charlotte: The Bobcats have only won three games all season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t steal a win every now and then. Charlotte was in Los Angeles last night getting tuned by the Lakers. You have to be careful with a team the night after that happens. The Bobcats are playing for pride only the rest of the way, but I don’t think that makes them any less of a team of professionals that are very serious about what they do.

Email me: mike.acker1@gmail.com

Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject

**NOTE** I’m on the road right now for a couple of days, so I’ll do my best to watch tonight’s game and Thursday in Sacramento and get recaps up in a timely fashion**

Dec. 19, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Chris Johnson (17) is fouled by Utah Jazz power forward Derrick Favors (15) as he drives to the basket in the fourth quarter of the preseason game at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 110-90. Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

Blazers: 12-8 (4th Northwest Division)

Jazz: 11-7 (3rd Northwest Division)

Game Details: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT. 6:00 PM. TV: CSN. Radio: KXTG (750 AM)

Projected Portland Starting Lineup: PG Raymond Felton (#5, 6’1”, North Carolina), SG Wesley Matthews (#2, 6’5″, Marquette), SF Gerald Wallace (#3, 6’7″, Alabama), PF LaMarcus Aldridge (#12, 6’11″, Texas), C Marcus Camby (#23, 6’11″, UMass)

Projected Utah Starting Lineup: PG Devin Harris (#5, 6’3”, Wisconsin), SG Raja Bell (#19, 6’5”, Florida International), SF Gordon Hayward (#20, 6’8”, Butler), PF Paul Millsap (#24, 6’8”, Louisiana Tech), C Al Jefferson (#25, 6’10”, Prentiss High School, Monticello, Mississippi)

It’s been two days since the epic Phoenix Suns beat-down. It should be a distant memory by now. In my mind, that means one thing: it’s put up or shut of time for Portland, and there should be no excuses, regardless of the outcome.

The Blazers have followed up a 3-0 December with what is now a 9-8 January. Their trip to Salt Lake City is the final outing of the month. A win gives Portland a winning January; a loss drops them to .500 on the month. Not only that, the Jazz are a division opponent. A win tonight will put the Blazers ahead of Utah in the Division, and give them the early advantage in the season series, something that will be huge come Playoff time. If every game is a must-win, which I think I have said it is, then Monday in SLC is a must must win.

Portland split two preseason meetings with the Jazz, swapping home victories, and do not have a stellar record at EnergySolutions. It’s not quite at the Oakland level, but from the end of 2001 to the end of 2010, the Blazers have beaten the Jazz in Utah only twice. In their last 20 meetings in Salt Lake, Portland is 4-16.

Luckily for the Blazers, two of those four wins came on their last two regular season trips to Utah. This is a different team than the one that has dominated this rivalry over the last decade. It’s a different team than the 21-10 Jazz Portland nipped by five back in December of 2010 to start this two-game winning streak they’re currently on. the Blazers should feel like they can win this game.

And how do they do it? Realize that at all five starting positions, and at most of the bench positions, they have a distinct advantage, play their game (something I feel like I always say), and make some jump shots. LaMarcus Aldridge is going to have his work cut out for him, being defended by and having to defend Paul Millsap, but guys like Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace, Wesley Matthews, and Nicolas Batum should be able to get the shots they want against smaller and/or less athletic defenders. Raja Bell is a notorious defensive stopper, but he is questionable for tonight’s game. Even if he is in, he probably can’t stop Gerald Wallace.

Bench play is going to be a big factor too. Utah isn’t the deepest bench, but they do have some guys that can do some damage. C.J. Miles is a Blazer killer from three, Josh Howard is a far cry from what he was but can still be a scorer, and Earl Watson is about as serviceable as you can get from a 10-year back-up PG. Portland isn’t going to get a chance to relax at all against this team.

I did say after the Phoenix game that the Blazers should probably go ahead and ignore that game tape. I’m changing my mind. They shouldn’t watch it to learn anything, but they should watch it to see their body language in the midst of a blowout. This team seems to get tight and miss shots when games or close. In Friday’s dismantling of a “professional basketball team,” every Blazer was relaxed, and for a couple of stretches everything went it. If Portland can carry that demeanor over, they might just be able to get a big road win, something January has sorely lacked.

Here’s what I’m watching for:

• Gerald Wallace: No need to say why. I’ll be listing him until he has himself a good road game.
• Raymond Felton: Again, no need to explain, except just subtract the word game from the above sentence.
• Rotation: Coach Nate McMillan went with a shorter lineup against Phoenix, and limited the number of minutes given to Craig Smith to mop-up time in the fourth. The Suns have no front line to speak of, so that move made sense. Utah has a few bigger bodies on their roster. Hopefully Rhino get some touches, I feel like the Blazers are starting to need his scoring with the second unit, plus he needs to stay hot, and that can only be done by giving him the ball and letting him work.
• CAN PORTLAND WIN ON THE ROAD: No better time than the present.

email me: mike.acker1@gmail.com

Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject