Game 60 - Portland Trail Blazers 115 - Toronto Raptors 117

[planetmars]

Projected Starters:

Toronto Raptors - JV, Scola, Johnson, DeRozan, Lowry
Portland Trail Blazers - Plumlee, Vonleh, Aminu, McCollum, Lillard


Notes:

• Raptors are going for their 12th consecutive home win as they play their 2nd game of a 7 game home stand.
• Raptors won their last meeting 110-103 on Feb/4 behind a 30 point performance from Kyle Lowry.
• Toronto is seeking its first season sweep of Portland since 1996-97. The Trail Blazers have won 12 of the last 14 matchups.
• Trail Blazers have had a stellar 18-5 record since January 6th. The Raptors, however, have gone 19-4 in the same span.
• Current odds show that the Raptors are 5.0 point favorites to win.

Let's go Raptors!

[KeonClark]

Should be a great game. Blazers are on fire.

Can't let Lowry and Demar try and turn this into a shootout with Lillard and Mccollum. We have better depth and a better front court, so exploit it and use it!

[Scraptor]

I am glad to see Ed Davis thriving in Portland. Wish he could have stayed a Raptor.

[Raptorsnz]

I am glad to see Ed Davis thriving in Portland. Wish he could have stayed a Raptor.

Get ready for the annual offseason tradition of people suggesting we get Ed Davis back. It's a classic at this point.

[MACK11]

I am glad to see Ed Davis thriving in Portland. Wish he could have stayed a Raptor.

I loved Ed Davis. I was really upset when we traded him.

[A.I]

I loved Ed Davis. I was really upset when we traded him.

BC was the GM then I was upset with everything he did, well most of the time.

[Nilanka]

I am glad to see Ed Davis thriving in Portland. Wish he could have stayed a Raptor.

Define thriving? I still see a role player at best, who may/may not be good enough to usurp Patterson if on our roster.

[LJ2]

Should be a great game. Blazers are on fire.

Can't let Lowry and Demar try and turn this into a shootout with Lillard and Mccollum. We have better depth and a better front court, so exploit it and use it!

Didn't they just get smoked by Boston? Good team regardless, but hopefully they are tiring out from a long road trip.

[planetmars]

The Rudy Gay trade should never have happened.. but I think it was a toss up between Ross or Davis at the time (Memphis wanted one prospect and an expiring (ie, Calderon)). I'm glad it was Davis as Ross has become really important to this team - at least this year.

[3inthekeon]

Define thriving? I still see a role player at best, who may/may not be good enough to usurp Patterson if on our roster.

Here's a quote from Zach Lowe's recent ESPN story on Portland.

Ed Davis, one of those 26-and-under signings, has never been better, and he took one for the team in January, when Stotts tweaked Portland's scheme. Davis plays with Leonard off the bench, and Leonard struggled scampering around with power forwards while Davis tussled with centers in his natural habitat. Stotts asked Davis whether he might swap to simplify the game for Leonard, and Davis agreed.

"It has made things easier for Meyers," Stotts said. "The more you are around Ed, the more you appreciate him."

[Scraptor]

Define thriving? I still see a role player at best, who may/may not be good enough to usurp Patterson if on our roster.

Thriving as in he is being recognized as a valuable role player. I mean people started seeing it last year on the Lakers, but he's been a fan favorite in Portland too.

ESPN Senior Writer Zach Lowe, releases his Fifth Annual Luke Walton All-Stars, and gives a nod to an unsung Blazer, growing in the hearts of the fans: Ed Davis.

Before he signed a nice long-term deal in Portland, it seemed like Davis was doomed to wander the NBA landscape, shoot 60 percent, pluck offensive rebounds, provide some rim protection, be "too skinny," and wait for someone to figure out he was pretty damn good.

http://www.blazersedge.com/2016/2/9/...lton-all-stars

Patman made the 2015 list so it's all good. I just like seeing homegrown dinos getting some love.

Edit: Ha, 3inthekeon beat me by 2 minutes! Great minds.

[007]

Should be a fun game, let's set that homecourt winning streak record!

[slaw]

Should be a great game. Blazers are on fire.

Can't let Lowry and Demar try and turn this into a shootout with Lillard and Mccollum. We have better depth and a better front court, so exploit it and use it!

Well, the first game in Portland was Lowry and Derozan (together with Ross and Joseph) tearing up Portland's perimeter people while Patterson, Biyombo, Scola and Powell were all but invisible. JV had a nice game, though. I'd actually be happy if it came down to 2-on-2 cause Lowry/Derozan are simply better players than Lillard/McCallum. Toronto wins that matchup 9/10 times. I just don't get the lack of confidence in our backcourt, which is far and away the best in the league outside of GSW.

[Demographic Shift]

So tonight we are the 5th stop on a long 6 game roadie for the Blazers.
Its also the 5th game in 7 nights for the men from RIP City.

Liking that. A lot.

Raps W.

Also a chance to see two very successful grads of the Rick Carlise coaching tree go at it in Stotts and Casey. Both merit COY consideration for their efforts so far this year. Nod to Stotts as he has the Blazers in the playoffs when the consensus was they'd be in the mid lottery this year.

[Nilanka]

So tonight we are the 5th stop on a long 6 game roadie for the Blazers.
Its also the 5th game in 7 nights for the men from RIP City.

Liking that. A lot.

Raps W.

Also a chance to see two very successful grads of the Rick Carlise coaching tree go at it in Stotts and Casey. Both merit COY consideration for their efforts so far this year. Nod to Stotts as he has the Blazers in the playoffs when the consensus was they'd be in the mid lottery this year.

Taking a step away form my Casey-smells-like-poop worldview, it's pretty amazing to think that he's in the COY conversation.

It wasn't that long ago that Kevin O'Neil was smashing lamps in hotel rooms....