Game night preview
ORLANDO MAGIC at PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Friday, Jan. 15. 10:30 p.m. ESPN
Rose Garden
Portland, OR
The Magic (26-12, 12-9 road) continue their challenging West Coast road trip when they face another conference juggernaut, the
Portland Trail Blazers (24-16, 15-7 home), on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET on national TV on ESPN. Brandon Roy (who is questionable for the game with a sore hamstring), an All-Star last season and one of the NBA’s premier scoring guards, erupted for a game-high 33 points in Orlando against the Magic. The Blazers, however, didn’t have an answer for Dwight Howard late as the Magic coasted to a 92-83 triumph. D-12 racked up an impressive 20 rebounds and four blocked shots, while Rashard Lewis and Jason Williams combined for 28 points. Besides hoping to climb in the Eastern Conference standings, Orlando would love a victory in Portland to elevate its confidence before traveling to L.A. for a rematch with the defending champion Lakers on Monday.| Team | Record | Standings | PF | PA | Road/Home | Streak | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 26-13 | 1st Southeast / 3rd East | 101.6 | 96.3 | Road 12-9 | Lost 1 | 4-6 |
| Portland | 24-16 | 2nd Northwest / 6th West | 97.7 | 94.4 | Home 15-7 | Won 1 | 6-4 |
Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 4:15 AM
3 Comments:
At 4:22 AM,
Mike from Illinois said…
If Brandon Roy doesn't play tonight for Portland, that'll be a break for the Magic.
Regardless of whether Roy plays or not, I expect a better game from the Magic after a day's rest following their second half meltdown against a strong Denver team.
It would be nice to see guys like Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson step up, as they have been struggling to find consistency offensively lately.
At 2:55 PM,
Matt said…
I am just about sick and tired of statements which don't make sense. How do you make it easier for a PG? PG is supposed to make it easier for others. As for Rashard, his game is down compared to last year because, as per Rashard himself, other teams have figured out how to defend him by not double-teaming Dwight. There may be some truth to it, but it is not the whole truth. Rashard's game is down; period. Even last year, he was not driving much to the basket, but rather his short jumpers close to the basket were money in the bank. This year those short jumpers are erratic in addition to the 3-pointers. There is only one cure for a slumping jump-shooter; get in the gym and practice more.
Bottom-line this Magic team cannot be considered an elite team if Jameer and Rashard don't pick it up and soon.
At 7:13 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
Update: According to Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel, Vince Carter will play tonight for the first time since last Friday. He didn't say whether or not Carter would be starting, but I assume he will be coming off the bench since this is his first game back and his shoulder might not be 100%.
Coach Van Gundy knows that Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Jameer Nelson have to pick up their games offensively in order for this team to be a success; we'll see how they do tonight.
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