Blazers Seek Revenge On Lakers At Staples Center
SteemSports Presenter:@mateonav53
SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets
The Blazers and Lakers have already played each other twice this year, and each exchange has been a back-and-forth entertaining affair. The Laker's traveled to Portland's home court the first two times, so this time the Blazer's will gear up for a Staples Center duel in LA. The crowd energy at the first two was through the roof, so I'm expecting no different Wednesday night when LA hosts the action!
The Lakers are in the middle of a three-game winning streak spurred in large part to the excellent play of new signee Tyson Chandler. Tyson was bought out by the Phoenix Suns last week then immediately picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers. Rumor has it that newly-minted Suns GM James Jones(longtime teammate of LeBron's) executed the buyout as a favor to his former championship teammate.
LeBron recognized the Laker's desperate need for size/rebounding/paint defense and probably put a call in to his old bud. If that's the case, then smart move by LeGM! The Lakers are undefeated with Tyson Chandler and finally employ respectable depth at the center position behind JaVale McGee. After winning three games against either shaky(Timberwolves) or unproven teams(Hawks, Kings), LA's new iteration will finally be tested against a sturdier playoff threat.
The Blazers got the ball rolling heading into this matchup. They're coming off a nail-biting victory against the Boston Celtics 100-94. The Blazers are off to a great start this year, sporting a 10-3 record good enough for second place in the brutal Western Conference. They're also only one game behind the Warriors. I don't think Portland will be the eventual #2 seed, I could see them falling in the 3-5 range instead. Every spot underneath the Warriors is wide-open given the uncertainty surrounding the hobbling Rockets.
Damian Lillard always seems to hit big shots when he comes to Los Angeles, dating back to as recently as last year's contests with the Lakers. The last time these two teams met the Lakers got the upper hand in a convincing fashion at the end, so I think Dame's going to come out firing in an effort to avenge their loss in front of their home crowd. If you're a betting man/woman then I'd advise taking Dame in daily fantasy Wednesday night.
My gut is telling me that the Blazers are going to come away with a W Wednesday night. It's going to be another hard-fought tango between Lillard and LeBron James. The Lakers have just been so bad at protecting leads lately though. If they're almost going to let shitty teams beat them(like Atlanta and Dallas), then when a good team comes through I think they might get overwhelmed. It'll be a true test to see how much of an impact 36-year-old Tyson Chandler can do when faced against one of the league's tougher teams.
Thank you for following @steemsports and you can find me @mateonav53
