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The Mavericks will be coming off a road game in Detroit, while the Celtics should be well-rested and ready to put Friday night’s home loss to the Indiana Pacers behind them as they look to post their third win of their current five game home stand.
The big question for the Bulls heading here, is whether or not leading scorer Derrick Rose will be ready for the team’s upcoming road matchup with the Orlando Magic on Friday.
The Los Angeles Lakers will roll into Rip City on Thursday with Kobe Bryant and all of their titles, but Portland will have the advantage with the best record (4-1) in the Western Conference.
Date/Time: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 5, 2012
Venue: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Broadcast: TNT
Spread: -3.5 Portland
Over/Under: 187
The Lakers (4-2) Bryant is just 6-23 in Portland in his career while the Lakers are 4-16 in Portland since 2000, and this game could be a barometer of how the two teams will finish the 2012 season.
The good news for the Lakers is that this is their only trip to Portland this season.
With All-Stars like Bryant and Pau Gasol along with future All-Star Andrew Bynum, the Lakers can never be counted on for being an easy win. Bynum is averaging nearly 23 points and 17 rebounds in his last three outings, including 21 points and 22 rebounds in a victory over Houston on Tuesday. However, he is not immune to the struggles against Portland, averaging 6.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 11 games.
Meanwhile, the Blazers are unbeaten in three home games at the Rose Garden and have the best record in the Western Conference for the first time since they went 42-18 on March 5, 2001.
Six players are averaging at least 10 points and three averaging at least seven rebounds per game, while Gerald Wallace became the first Trail Blazer to produce a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) in Tuesday’s win over Oklahoma City.
But all hasn’t been rosy for Portland who have been plagued by the turnover bug, committing 46 turnovers in their previous two games, but did improve with just nine against the Thunder.
Free Pick: Portland —The Trail Blazers will meet their stiffest challenge yet with Los Angeles, and will rely on guard Wesley Matthews, who averages 15.4 points and 5.2 rebounds, to help anchor a back court that will need to contain Bryant and Fisher, while Marcus Camby has his hands full with Bynum. Still, I like the Blazers at home here.
The Houston Rockets travel to Los Angeles looking to boost their record to above .500 for the first time in the young season, and will get a break as they taking on a Lakers team that has struggled to start the season.
The Kohl Center will be buzzing on Tuesday as No. 11 Wisconsin hosts No. 17 Michigan State in a Big Ten clash with both teams looking to get an early jump in the conference standings.
The No. 9 Connecticut Huskies will look to push their current win streak to eight when they tip off against a Pirates team that will be looking to improve 2-1 in Big East play after a big win over West Virginia the last time out.
No. 2 Ohio State opened Big 10 play with big victory of Northwestern, and will now set their sights on adding to the Hoosiers misery after they were upset by Michigan State on Wednesday.
While the Louisville Cardinals began their Big East campaign with a shocking loss to the No. 12 Georgetown Hoyas, the Wildcats lit it up in Lexington as they destroyed Lamar for its 43rd straight home victory.
Well, it all comes down to this for a resurgent Broncos team. This game is not exactly short in the story line department either. The most notable one has to be the fact that new Kansas City quarterback, Kyle Orton has the chance to keep the team that cut him earlier this year, out of the playoffs.
Well, the Raiders are not in complete control of their destiny here, but a home win against the surging Chargers will go a long way in securing them a playoff spot for the first time since 2002.
In what is really a BCS consolation game, two of the top five scoring offenses in the nation will square off for the first time ever, and , it should be a game for the ages.
This is a match-up between two teams that have not met each other since the year 2001. The difference is that this time they meet in what many consider to be the Granddaddy of all Bowl Game–the 98th Edition of the Tournament of Roses.
As the New Year approaches, college basketball dishes up an anticipated Big East opener between the No. 12 Georgetown Hoyas who vaulted four spots in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, and the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals this Wednesday on ESPN2.
The 2011 Alamo Bowl presents what appears to be an epic battle of David vs. Goliath, as Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and a revamped No. 16 Baylor Bears take on the Washington Huskies who bring the worst pass defenses in the FBS into the matchup.
A lot of things have changed since the Bruins and Illini met over five seasons ago.
And now what in the past would have been a matchup of two very good teams, has turned into a meeting of the worst that college football has seen in a bowl meeting in the past several seasons.
The Raiders will try to win their sixth straight at Kansas City and six straight AFC West road game as they take on a Chiefs team that despite starting 0-3 and enduring a four-game losing streak later in the season, are still fighting for their playoff lives.
