Preview: Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets
By Ryan Allison
The Portland Trail Blazers travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets tonight at 6:00 p.m. PST. This will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Trail Blazers and they will be trying for their first road win of the season. These two teams met just three days ago in Portland, where the Trail Blazers won 116-100. The Nuggets have been idle since the loss and are hoping to snap their five-game losing streak. Tonight’s game can be seen on KGW and heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
The Trail Blazers traveled to Denver in high spirits last night. They pulled off an improbable comeback against the Hornets and now set their eyes on defeating the Nuggets for the second time in three days. With Batum likely out until Monday, the Trail Blazers will have to find ways to replace his well-rounded play. Crabbe, fresh off his first career start, will possibly be Batum’s replacement in the starting lineup once again. Crabbe only played 22 minutes but had the highest +/- of any Trail Blazer at +10. The unlikely replacement will be matched up with Wilson Chandler who has experience and two inches on Crabbe. Let’s see how the youngster holds up tonight.
In Sunday’s win against the Nuggets, the Trail Blazers were lighting it up from distance. They finished 16-31 (51.6 percent) from behind the arc, led by Matthews’ five triples. They definitely cooled off yesterday, shooting 8-25 (32.0 percent) from three. They will need to catch fire again tonight. I will look for Lillard and Matthews to keep the Nuggets’ defenders honest. If the Trail Blazers can shoot 40.0 percent or better from distance, it will help them secure their sixth consecutive win over the Nuggets.
The Nuggets have had two days to rest and focus on the Trail Blazers. Portland’s 0-2 road record appears favorable for the Nuggets, who have been unimpressive at home this season (1-2). They have been able to muster up points at home, scoring over 100 points in their last two home games. Darrell Arthur will return to the Nuggets lineup tonight after missing Sunday’s game due to a one-game suspension. Arthur isn’t the most flashy player, but he is a consistent player that Head Coach Brian Shaw can bring in off the bench. Finally 100.0 percent healthy, the Nuggets will try to find a rotation that will work against the Trail Blazers.
I’ll be watching the power forward and shooting guard matchups tonight. Aldridge will look to score 20-plus points for the fifth consecutive game. On Sunday, Aldridge scored a season-high 28 points against the Nuggets. He managed nine rebounds and will hopefully pick up the slack in Batum’s absence, like he did last night when he corralled 14 rebounds. Faried also had his best outing since the season opener on Sunday, putting in 19 points and seven rebounds. The Manimal vs. the L-Train should be entertaining once again.
Matthews has been the most consistent Trail Blazer all season. His prior shooting display against the Nuggets will hopefully spark him tonight. He has also been aggressive on the defensive side of the ball. He will try to force Afflalo into poor decisions and tough shots. Afflalo played the least amount of minutes among the starters on Sunday but did manage to put in 18 points. Both of these shooting guards are well-rounded and it should be a great matchup.