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Projecting the Portland Trail Blazers record against Northwest Divisional rivals

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 17: The Portland Trail Blazers honor the National Anthem before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 2018 at the Moda Center 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 17: The Portland Trail Blazers honor the National Anthem before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 2018 at the Moda Center 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers
PORTLAND, OR – JANUARY 24: Damian Lillard

Minnesota Timberwolves: 3-1

These games are hard to predict, because they depend so much on when/if Minnesota trades Jimmy Butler.

Despite Butler’s trade request and all the Instagram drama between him and Andrew Wiggins (and Stephen Jackson), Head Coach Tom Thibodeau says he wants to keep his star player. So, maybe Butler stays on the Wolves for the whole season, but I’m still betting he’ll be gone sooner than later. After the Wolves’ media day inevitably becomes a circus, Thibs may change his tune with a loud backing track from team owner Glen Taylor.

So, how do the Blazers fare against a Butler-less Minnesota team? (I’m going to keep this one brief because of all the uncertainty.)

Karl-Anthony Towns will no doubt get his points and rebounds against Portland but Nurkic should make this tough on him. Towns’s three-point percentage has vastly improved since he’s been in the league, and he hit them at a clip of .421 percent last year. So, Minnesota might get Nurkic to follow Towns out there if he starts draining long range bombs.

However, Aminu should provide a decent option to put onto Towns if he begins falling in love with the three-point shot.

Wiggins will also get himself buckets but – as has been well-documented – Wiggins’s stats equate more to just numbers on a page than actual impact. Turner will have his hands full when guarding the 23-year-old, but it might not be the biggest deal if Wiggins starts playing hero-ball against him.

But I like the Blazers in this matchup because KAT has not yet become a threat defensively and, without Butler, the Wolves’ choices at two-guard become extremely thin. Lillard and McCollum could have their way with a 30-year-old Jeff Teague, Tyus Jones, and Josh Okogie with little resistance inside, save for Taj Gibson.

And because the Blazers like to stagger McCollum and Lillard, when Thibs puts Derrick Rose into the game, the lead guard should look to exploit him.

These games will come down to how much KAT has improved defensively (I believe a defensive improvement is coming, it’s just a matter of how soon), and how well Minnesota can sure up their backcourt.