Less than 24 hours after emerging victorious in the Mile High City versus the Denver Nuggets, the Toronto Raptors will suit up to take on the Portland Trailblazers at the Moda Center. This matchup against the Blazers will be the second game of this five game road trip for Toronto.
The Raptors (25-21) – who happen to be on a three game winning streak – shouldn’t be anticipating an easy W versus this upstart Blazers (33-13) squad though. Portland’s basketball team has been a pleasant surprise this year, ascending higher than even the boldest of predictors would have anticipated. With a record 20 games over the .500 mark, Terry Stotts has the Blazers currently sitting with the 3-seed in the deep Western Conference. While these two teams needed overtime to decide a winner in the last game they played against each other, a lot of things have gotten better for the now division-leading Raptors since then. Still, this will be no cakewalk. The last time Toronto won a game in Portland was during the 2006-2007 season. It’s been a while.
Cage’s Keys to the Game:
Limit Second Chance Points:
Last night, the Toronto Raptors didn’t exactly rebound the ball exceptionally well. In this matchup against Portland, the effort on the glass has to be cleaned up— especially on defense. The Blazers roster has its share of capable rebounders beyond the power forward on center positions. With wing players who contribute with boards of their own, it isn’t a mere coincidence that Portland ranks 2nd in the entire Association when it comes to offensive rebounds per game— they pull down an average of 13.1 every night. It’s good to see that Tyler Hansbrough is back out on the floor now; as he can be a huge help in this particular area.
Slow Down Aldridge:
LaMarcus Aldridge is having a remarkable season. With averages of 24.3 PPG and 11.6 RPG, the 2nd overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft has been the driving force for the Trail Blazers— especially on offense. With Robin Lopez occupying the paint, Aldridge has been to make a living in the baseline area; adding another element to his polished mid-range game. It will mainly be up to Amir Johnson to find ways to make the Blazers star uncomfortable by taking him off his sweet spots on the floor. Patrick Patterson will likely contribute to the defensive effort against the MVP candidate as well.
Close Out On Shooters:
The Portland Trail Blazers take a lot of threes. They also make a lot of threes. In hoisting an average of about 25 shots from long range each game, they succeed in hitting roughly 38% of them. Damian Lillard has been an absolute sniper for Rip City; draining 136 threes of his own this season (with a couple of them being game-winners. The Raptors opposition will also have players like Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, and Mo Williams to chase around the arc tonight, so defending the three is of the utmost importance. Since Portland will generate looks from downtown off drive and kicks or set screen plays, communication will be key for the road team in this one. If DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, and John Salmons aren’t successful in contesting three point attempts from the Blazer guards/wings, this could get ugly.
Keep It Simple On Offense:
Portland’s crowd is one of the best that the league has to offer. This is why the Toronto Raptors must do whatever it takes to limit their turnovers and properly execute their offense. Since this is the second half of a back-to-back, the team is likely to feel a tad bit drained following last night’s game. If the Raptors can keep things simple tonight against a rested Blazers team, maybe they can give themselves a shot at a 2-0 start to this road trip.
Gritty Effort:
Hustle plays; hitting the floor for loose balls; keeping the intensity at a high level all night. These are the things that could give the Raptors a chance in this game. It probably won’t be as pretty as yesterday’s matchup. Gotta grind this one out.
X-Factor – Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry versus Damian Lillard should be a fun matchup to keep an eye on. It’ll be up to Toronto’s all-star snub to slow down Portland’s all-star sophomore guard by consistently pressuring the Weber St. product into making poor decisions. Also, since he had a relatively quiet game in yesterday’s win, look for Lowry to be more assertive on the offensive side of things.