Tonight at 6:00 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Phoenix Suns. The Trail Blazers will be without All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, who injured his thumb in Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. The Suns will attempt to take advantage of Aldridge’s absence but their guard-heavy lineup may not help. The game can be seen on CSNNW and heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Monday night resulted in both good and bad news for the Trail Blazers. The good news is they snapped a three game losing streak and got contributions from a vast array of players. The bad news is they lost their All-Star power forward to a thumb injury in the second quarter. Aldridge swiped at a ball and hit his hand on DeMarcus Cousins‘ knee, left the game,and did not return. Aldridge did not travel with the team to Phoenix and the question remains: How long will he be out?
With Aldridge out, the Trail Blazers’ front line is depleted. They have been without Lopez and Freeland for a while and this is just another hurdle in their journey. This season, the Trail Blazers have fared well without Aldridge in the lineup, winning three of the four games he’s been previously sidelined. The three wins have been against weak Eastern Conference opponents (Nets, 76ers, Knicks) and the loss was against the Rockets. We’ll see how they do against a Suns team that is very inconsistent.
Dec 23, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (center) is surrounded by Isaiah Thomas (left) and Eric Bledsoe against the Dallas Mavericks at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Suns could be really good. As mentioned, they are a guard-heavy team. They do not have much depth or talent in the front court. As a result, defense seems to be their weakest point. Currently, the Suns rank 28th in points allowed at 104.6. Some games their defense looks good while others it look horrible. During their current three game winning streak, the Suns are holding teams to an average of 99.7 points. Still not good but much better than their season average.
We will not know who will start in place of Aldridge until closer to game time. Head Coach Terry Stotts has used both Meyers Leonard and Thomas Robinson this season when Aldridge has been sidelined. I would not be surprised to see him go with Wright at the power forward and allow Robinson and Leonard to provide a spark off the bench. Wright played extremely well on Monday night, given that he hasn’t seen very many minutes this season. Wright had nine points, two rebounds, and three assists in Monday’s win over the Kings.
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The most important aspect of tonight’s game will be protecting the paint. The Trail Blazers are currently second in points allowed at 96.9 points per game. The Suns have won seven of their last 10 games against the Trail Blazers. The key to the three wins the Trail Blazers have against the Suns has been defense, holding the Suns to under 100 points in all three. The Suns are the third-highest scoring team in the NBA at 107.2 points per game. Without Aldridge, the Trail Blazers are down another interior defender. Kaman, Leonard, and Robinson must clog the lane and force the driving guards to pass or take difficult shots.
A rare victory in Phoenix might be in play if the Trail can lock down the paint and the reserves provide the same kind of production they did on Monday night.