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Portland Trail Blazers: Three matchups you won’t want to miss this season

By Doug Patrick

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 17: C.J. McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers is guarded by Ian Clark #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on April 17, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 17: C.J. McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers is guarded by Ian Clark #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on April 17, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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The NBA season is officially less than a month away, which means it’s time to start circling matchups on the schedule that are must-see TV. Here are three Portland Trail Blazers games that you won’t want to miss.

The next Portland Trail Blazers season is almost upon us! That’s right, it’s time to stop arguing over Twitter if Nikola Jokic is better than Joel Embiid and who had the best workout video (spoiler: it was Damian Lillard).

To gear up for this upcoming year, I found three matchups that I’m particularly eager for.

  • October 18: vs. Los Angeles Lakers

This year, the Blazers open up the season against the Los Angeles Lakers. The entire NBA world will be watching eagerly as LeBron James records his first real minutes in the Purple and Gold, and there’s no doubt that he’ll want to come out swinging.

The game could prove that continuity and chemistry can defeat teams that have the best player on the floor. The Lakers are a hodgepodge of promising young talent (Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma) and strange veteran acquisitions (Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee), while the Blazers will be coming in with a team fairly undisturbed from the year before.

If the Blazers can torch LeBron and his new team on opening night, the narrative looming over their entire season may change within 48 minutes. No longer will they be a team that so many analysts are predicting to regress. Instead, they will be the first team to takedown the best player in the league in his new Hollywood threads.

The Blazers would be for real.

A solid performance from Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic could get the 2018-19 season started off with the perfect bolt of momentum.

  • December 25: at Utah Jazz

The NBA on Christmas is a tradition as old as time. Regardless of who the Blazers played, this game would be a must-watch for the atmosphere and slick holiday jerseys alone. But the fact they’ll be going up a tough Utah Jazz team makes this game all the more exciting.

How much better will Donovan Mitchell have improved? Will Rudy Gobert still be dominating the paint? Will Ricky Rubio be bricking three-pointers again?

Last year, the Blazers won two of their three matchups against Utah.  And in these games, Lillard was nothing short of a monster. He averaged 31 points, three assists, and seven boards.

Lillard could go off in any game but against the Jazz – on Christmas Day? I’d say it’s highly likely that this will be a huge game for him. Perhaps even an MVP-type performance…

The matchup could also say a lot about the Portland’s ability to keep their offense rolling against staunch defense. The Jazz are a smart team, and at this point in the season, we could see how the Blazers’ new pieces in Seth Curry and Nik Stauskas help counter some of their defensive strategies.

Wake up, see your family, open some presents, and then apologize because you’ve got some basketball to watch.

  • March 15: at New Orleans Pelicans

There’s nothing sweeter in the spring than the smell of fresh flowers and the taste of sweet, sweet redemption.

Last year, the Blazers’ overachieving season was cut short in disappointing fashion against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs. They were dismantled in four games by a Pelicans team that had recently lost DeMarcus Cousins. Anthony Davis was unstoppable and Jrue Holiday was deadly on both sides of the ball.

By mid-March, we’ll know a lot more of where these teams will place in the playoff-picture, but for right now, ESPN has both vying for a bottom seed in a loaded West. This could not only be a game of pride but one that keeps each of these teams’ postseason hopes alive.

Portland will be coming off three-days of rest, and there’s no doubt they’ll want to prove against the team that previously eliminated them the year before that they’re back and fully-loaded.

This will be the third and final matchup between these teams. While the other two games will be important, neither will have as many implications headed into the playoffs as this one.

Next. Blazers announce 2018-19 TV schedule. dark

Watch for a hard-fought battle between teams who will both have something to prove.