The Toronto Raptors (19-17) will be in tough Sunday when they welcome the Portland Trailblazers (22-13) to the ACC. These teams last met in Portland on December 19th. Brandon Roy led the Blazers, scoring 25 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, and dishing out 8 assists.
The Blazers have won 17 of their last 18 and have taken over top spot in the Northwest Division. Their coming off a win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, 109-91. Steve Blake was the unlikely leader, scoring 24 points on 8-10 shooting.
The Raptors have won two in a row and are back in second place in the Atlantic Division, twelve games back of the Boston Celtics. The Raptors knocked off the New York Knicks on Friday night 99-90. Chris Bosh led the way with 40 points and 11 rebounds.
Starting 5:
Steve Blake/Jose Calderon
Brandon Roy/Anthony Parker
Martell Webster/Jamario Moon
LaMarcus Aldridge/Chris Bosh
Joel Przybilla/Andrea Bargnani
Key Match-ups:
When these teams met in Portland guard Brandon Roy was a question mark with flu like symptoms, but that didn’t slow him down one bit. Roy flirted with a triple double and shut the Raptors down every time the brought the game close. Roy did suffer a knee injury against the Warriors, but it wasn’t too serious as he returned and finished the game. Anthony Parker will get the call on the defensive end to try and stop the reigning Rookie of the Year from handing the Raptors their 9th home loss.
Chris Bosh is coming off a great performance against the lonely Knicks. His 40 points was 2 off his career high, but it is evidence of how well Bosh is playing right now. LaMarcus Aldridge limited Bosh to 18 points in December and should get the call to guard CB4 again.
Game Notes:
Blazers guard Steve Blake suffered a thigh contusion against the Warriors on Thursday. His status is uncertain for Sunday; the Blazers are 5-10 on the road this season.
Raptors forward Chris Bosh is making ground in his bid to start for the Eastern Confernce all-stars in New Orleans. As loyal Raptor fans we should all take the opportunity to vote everyday for CB4; the Raptors are 9-8 at home and Sundays game should be sold out.
Technorati Tags: Anthony Parker, Brandon Roy, Chris Bosh, Golden State Warriors, Jose Calderon, LaMarcus Aldridge, New York Knicks, Portland Trailblazers, Steve Blake, Toronto Raptors
January 12th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
this’ll be a tough game for the raps. Hopefully Bosh plays like he did against NYK and some secondary scoring comes from the bench…Bargs maybe?? Hello El Mago? I’m calling you out.
It’s tough to watch Brandon Roy play well when the Raptors could have him wearing a Toronto jersey or LaMarcus Aldridge for that matter.
#1 Bargnani, 9.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg
#2 Aldridge, 18.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg
#3 Adam Morrison (inj)
#4 6.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg
#5 3.1 ppg. rpg 3.2 rpg
#6 Roy, 18.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 5.7 apg
I know a career isnt defined in 2 seasons, but seeing Roy score and pass the ball and see Aldridge scoring and rebounding makes you question their selection
January 12th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
sorry the #4 pick should be Tyrus Thomas and the #5 is Sheldon Williams
January 13th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I guess it really does not matter who the other picks are. Moon gets paid a whole lot less and is producing a whole lot more then Bargnani. Yes he is younger but one would think a #1 overall pick would be getting used to the NBA by year 2.
It should be interesting to see if any trades are done this month.
January 13th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
i would have been happy with aldridge. dude is also something the raptors need (18pts 8rebs) that would perfect lining up with bosh.
January 13th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
2010 NBA champions: The Portland Trailblazers
January 13th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
there is definitely a case to be made for that, wow they are good.
January 13th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Wow. This is going to be a good Portland team. If Greg Oden works out as good as advertised, then it could be the makings of a dynasty!
January 13th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Are you kidding me, this game was the best game I ever watched… I figured out why Andrea is playing so bad. This team is moving towards defence and the dude just doesn’t feel comfortable playing D. That akwardness is translating into offence as well…
Secondly, we got raped by the refs in this game. They missed enough calls, for meto call into question whether they were trying to fix this game….. There i said it…. Some of the stuff was unbelievable……
Great game though…. Bosh is awesome, Parker is the man, he’s the second option in this team. Jose should be starting point gaurd for this year…
Finished!
January 13th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
what an awesome game… gotta love it, even though we “should have” finished it in regulation or the first OT, for that matter. They made it interesting for fans and the important thing is we got the W. Kudos to Bosh for putting up amazing numbers for the 2nd straight game and as Ron Gersh said, AP as he’s been emerging as our 2nd option. That Blazer team is very similar to our Raptors squad and Roy is looking to be a very valuable player. Nate McMillan is doing a great job running this team and as SiC said, imagine with a healthy Greg Oden.
January 13th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Thanks Ron. I’m glad someone else saw the BS officiating. I was turning into a broken record about it, night in and night out. Are the refs trying to cover the spread? Is the SternBA trying to make a case for the next Cleveland Lebrons (with more talent on the roster)?
I’m glad the refs made it an exciting game though :), the CBC needed one.