Trail Blazers @ Pistons Game Thread
With the New Orleans Hornets losing tonight to the Bulls, only 1 games in the loss column separates 5th from 8th place. Everyone knows the Jazz are in turmoil after their legendary head coach resigned and the Nuggets could falter the moment Carmelo Anthony is dealt. Basically, the time is now for Portland. And including Sunday's game against the Pistons, the rest of the Blazers games leading up the All-Star Break should be wins for Portland.
For the Blazers to escape the Motor City with a win, they must push the tempo and think aggressively. If they can score over 100, it may be enough to stymie the offensively challenged Pistons who only average 94 points per night, 4th lowest in the NBA. Getting quality looks shouldn't be a problem as Detroit allows their opponents to shoot 48.7% from the field, the second highest allowed in the league. Another big night should be in the works for LA as the Pistons only have two legitimate bigs who play inside, rookie Greg Monroe and veteran Ben Wallace, neither holding the attributes to stop Aldridge on the blocks.
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