NBA Basketball Matchup: Timberwolves vs Trail Blazers
A battle between two teams on opposite streaks, that have found themselves almost even in the Northwestern race.
Date/Time: 10:00 PM EST, Saturday, March 3, 2012
Venue: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
Broadcast: Local Markets (subject to change)
Spread: Portland -6
Over/Under: 194.5 (-110)
The Blazers started off red hot where many thought they would falter with the loss of Brandon Roy, but their pace has slowed down dramatically to a point where they are barely holding onto their .500 mark at 18-17. On the other hand you have T-Wolves, a team that started off with a 3-7 mark, but have been working very hard to stay afloat in the Western race.
They were actually above .500 at 13-12 before losing four in a row a few weeks back. That did not break their spirits however, and they now claim wins in five of their last seven games to sit even on the season at 18 -18.
Minnesota’s most consistent player may lack in star power(although that seems to be changing by the day), but what he lacks there he more than makes up for it with his production. Kevin Love is fourth in the NBA in scoring at nearly 25 points per outing. While that is impressive in itself, he is also second in the NBA in rebounding at almost 14 per game.
Outside of Love however, the team is pretty slim in terms of point production. There are a lot of young, talented players around him, but none have seemingly made it over the proverbial “hump.” [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams are the two that come to mind when you try to figure out who is next.
Beasley missed some time earlier this season, but since his return he has hit double figures 11 times, but has only managed to get to 20 in three of those games.
Williams may now finally be coming into his own in what is his rookie season. He has hit double figures three games in a row now for the third time this season. During the most recent stretch he scored over 20 for the first time in his young career.
Meanwhile , the Portland Trail Blazers are a balances team, but they do have one star player in LaMarcus Aldridge. Aside from him you also have a few role players looking to make an impact.
The biggest, is arguably from sixth man, Jamal Crawford. He is second on the team in points and assists. He also is a player that you can go to in crunch time. The type of player that they needed when they learned they would be without the services of Roy.
Free Pick: Portland- This game will likely be decided by the match-up at the four position. Aldridge and Love will go head to head here, and the winner of that little battle will say a lot about the game overall. While I think Love wins that battle, the Blazers are tough to beat at home.
