Trail Blazers host Jazz in final regular season home game
By Ryan Allison
Tonight at 7:00 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers host the Utah Jazz in their final home game of the regular season. The Trail Blazers came away from Salt Lake City with an impressive (and important) win a few weeks ago and will try to take the season series against the Jazz tonight. The Jazz may be out of playoff contention but they play hard every night and have shown promise for their future. The game can be seen on CSNNW and heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Yet another injury has crept its way into the Trail Blazers lineup. Afflalo suffered a shoulder strain Thursday night against the Warriors and will miss 1-2 weeks. This team can’t seem to catch a break but there is no time for excuses as the playoffs are right around the corner.
Mar 1, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) reacts to a call during the third quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Sacramento Kings 110-99. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
If the loss of Afflalo didn’t hurt enough, the Trail Blazers will take the court without Aldridge as well. Aldridge is dealing with a foot sprain. There was no indication that he was hurt on Thursday so hopefully this is just a precaution. Taking preventative action may be the right path for the Trail Blazers at this point, with only two regular season games remaining after tonight. Lillard could use some rest since he’s played the most minutes among the Trail Blazers starters, but will likely start each game to continue his streak of 0 career absences. He was the reason the Trail Blazers avoided a sixth consecutive loss last time they played the Jazz.
In that game, the Trail Blazers trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter. That was until Lillard decided to take over the game. He finished with a near triple-double, posting 23 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds. With Aldridge out tonight, he will be the go-to man and needs to play with a sense of urgency. Lillard has averaged 24.2 points per game in his last five home matchups with the Jazz. In the first game of the season series against the Jazz, Lillard had 25 points in a 103-102 victory.
The Jazz aren’t far off from a future playoff berth. They almost have all of the tools they need to win on a nightly basis. Hayward has been great this season after signing a big contract to stay in Utah. Gobert has come into his own since being added to the starting lineup after the team dealt Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City. Favors is a beast at the power forward position and would be in the discussion of top forwards in the Western Conference. Burke is a solid guard that can be very dangerous when he’s feeling it, and Exum’s defense is impeccable. You add all of that up and the Jazz look to have a bright future.
The focus for tonight’s matchup will be on the performance of Leonard and McCollum. When Aldridge sat out of Monday’s contest against the Nets, Leonard stepped up in a big way. He posted 17 points and 15 rebounds in the loss and continues to show signs of improvement. McCollum has seen his role increase as well. Over the last five games, McCollum has averaged 28.6 minutes and has averaged 16.4 points per game. The injury to Afflalo may propel McCollum into the starting lineup until the team is healthier. It will be interesting to see how he plays tonight with one of the two All-Stars sidelined as well.