Did you guys know Lillard is from Oakland?
Alexis Harper | Friday, January 11, 2013 at 2:00PM 
Damian Lillard will step onto the Oracle Arena court, fresh off a win against the defending champs and taking home his second consecutive Western Conference Rookie of the Month. In his first trip to Oakland, Lillard is looking to lead the Blazers to their seventh win in the last eight games.
While the Blazers are feeling great about their effort last night and hoping to give Lillard a proper introduction to his hometown, the smell of a trap game is strong in Portland even from 637 miles north.
Golden State has lost their last two games matching their longest losing streak of the season. They will undoubtedly look to bounce back against Portland tonight. Sources report Mark Jackson writing, “Not on my watch!” on the team’s chalkboard.
Starters:
Portland: Damian Lillard (PG), Wesley Matthews (SG), Nicolas Batum (SF), LaMarcus Aldridge (PF), J.J. Hickson (C)
Golden State: Stephen Curry (PG), Klay Thompson (SG), Harrison Barnes (SF), David Lee (PF), Festus Ezeil (C)
Stats:
Before winning the last three contests, Portland had dropped four in a row to the Warriors. Tonight they look to bring the record back to .500 over the past eight games.
Golden State is currently sitting in fifth in the Western Conference and is two and a half games up on Portland in the standings.
The Warriors feature two of the top-three three-point shooters in the league: Curry and Klay Thompson. The Blazers allow opponents just 33.8% from the three-point line (good for eighth in the league), but Golden State averages 39.1% from outside (fourth-best).
Last season Charles Jenkins torched Portland for his career-high 27 points. He is out with an injury tonight.
Potential Headlines, courtesy of Maddison:
“Lillard gets hyphy, ghost rides the whip to victory”
“David Lee and Stephen Curry do the thizzle dance all over Portland”
Potential Absolutely Certain Headlines:
“Lillard [blahblahblahs] in his first trip to Oakland”
Bonus:
I used to post this whenever Jackson called a game for Portland, but this is as close as we’re getting and it would be a crime not to share it again:
Reader Comments (1)
How can this be a trap game? Wouldn't most people label the Warriors the better team, despite their recent struggles?