#portland-trail-blazers

#portland-trail-blazers

Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors may have had it rough this season after taking a step back, but they can take solace in the fact that they are having a better season than the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference.Damian Lillard is averaging over 32 points per game, yet this team is in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.

The Boston Celtics, despite being 5-5 in their last 10 games, are just two game back form the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.Tonight, they'll hit the road to take on the struggling Portland Trail Blazers, who need to win games in a hurry if they want to make the postseason.

The Boston Celtics got away with a win over the Timberwolves on Wednesday by the skin of their teeth, and on March 17, the Cs hope to honor St. Patrick with a victory on his unofficial holiday against the Blazers in Portland.Against Minnesota, things came down to the very last minute.Grant Williams won a controversial jump ball over Rudy Gobert, and Jayson Tatum iced the game with two free throws in the final two seconds - being given an extra technical foul shot due to Gobert's complaints about Williams potentially getting away with tapping the ball before it hit its peak in the air.

Two teams headed in opposite directions meet tonight when Chicago plays at Portland.The Chicago Bulls (6-4 over last 10) are hanging on to the final spot in the play-in tournament in the East while the Portland Trail Blazers (3-7 over last 10) are 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the West's final play-in seed.

On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Portland Trail Blazers, looking to start a little bit of a winning streak after breaking one of the losing variety in their most recent game.That game occurred up in the bay, where the Lakers were able to beat the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors to a final score of 109-103.

In the latest episode of the HoopsHype podcast, SNY's Ian Begley joined Michael Scotto to discuss the New York Knicks.One of the key topics was Josh Hart's upcoming $13 million player option.Scotto tells us not to worry about losing the Knicks newest guard dawg.He believes Josh Hart will turn down his $13 million player option and negotiate a new contract with the Knicks during the upcoming summer.

Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson lived a different life growing up than most of us, or even most baseball players.While a lot of ballplayers grow up around baseball, Trayce is the son of an NBA basketball player and the brother of two others.Mychal Thompson's NBA playing career ended while Trayce was still in diapers, but his post-playing career kept him involved, first with the Portland Trail Blazers and then with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Moody Maryland rapper will swing through town on his Since I Have a Lover tour, supporting his first album in five years.Fellow Billboard-charting rapper Bryson Tiller will also stop by Portland in the near future.If bluegrass is more your vibe, the aptly-named guitar virtuoso Billy Strings has announced a two-night stint at Moda Center this fall.

One area the New York Knicks have done a great job in this season is limiting turnovers.Looking at the season, the Knicks average the fourth fewest turnovers per game.In Tom Thibodeau's three years coaching the Knicks, not turning it over is an area they've succeeded in:


2020-21: Sixth-fewest turnovers per game
2021-22: Tied for tenth in fewest turnovers per game
2022-23 (current): Fourth-fewest turnovers per game


Point guard Jalen Brunson has been a spotlight for the Knicks' consistency with the ball.

As March Madness is finally set to tip off today, we'll be treated to a showcase of the nation's best young talent.The good news here is that the Chicago Bulls have two first-round picks in the upcoming draft.The bad news, however, is that neither pick is guaranteed to convey and the Bulls may be left sitting this one out on the sidelines altogether.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Significant concerns over Gary Payton II's physical exam with Golden State has put Thursday's four-team trade involving the Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers in jeopardy, sources confirmed to ESPN.The Warriors have until 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday to go through with the deal or rescind the entire trade, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Feb 11, 2023



Adrian WojnarowskiSenior NBA Insider

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Host of The Woj Pod
Joined ESPN in 2017




The Golden State Warriors are under a 9:30 p.m. ET deadline on Sunday to make a decision on squashing a four-team trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons because of issues surrounding Gary Payton II's abdomen injury, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

Feb 12, 2023



Adrian WojnarowskiSenior NBA Insider

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Host of The Woj Pod
Joined ESPN in 2017




The Golden State Warriors completed a four-team trade that allows guard Gary Payton II to pass his physical and three more players --- James Wiseman (Detroit), Saddiq Bey (Atlanta) and Kevin Knox (Portland) -- cleared beginning Monday, sources told ESPN on Sunday night.

Classic Wizards - missing three starters and having reached the point of the season where losing might help the franchise improve long-term - they come out and stomp the Boston Celtics, the second place team in the Eastern Conference.Behind an overpowering game from Kristaps Porzingis, the Wizards took control early and didn't relent.

After losing four in a row, the Wizards took advantage of a classic NBA "get well" game and beat the San Antonio Spurs by a comfortable enough margin that big man Kristaps Porzingis didn't need to play in the fourth quarter.The lineup that blew the game open: Delon Wright, Jordan Goodwin, Corey Kispert, Anthony Gill and Daniel Gafford.

In his first game back from injury, Robert Williams III calmed Boston Celtics fans by having a net positive outing in the final game of Boston's six-game road trip.For the first time since March 3 in a stunning loss to the Nets, the former Texas A&M center Williams is back on the floor for the Boston Celtics.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gary Payton II is considered probable for the Golden State Warriors game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, coach Steve Kerr said.Payton scrimmaged on Friday and was a full participant at the team's light practice Saturday afternoon.He will warm up on Sunday with the intent to play.

SAN FRANCISCO The Warriors' wait for Gary Payton II's return could soon be over.Six weeks after he rejoined his former team via trade, Payton might finally suit up for Golden State this weekend.Payton scrimmaged Friday and went through a light practice Saturday, coach Steve Kerr said.He's listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, meaning he'll warm-up with the intention of playing.

Gary Payton II is slated to participate in a full-team practice this weekend and could be cleared to play as soon as Sunday, the Warriors announced Thursday afternoon.Payton has continued to make progress in his recovery from an abdominal injury that was flagged during a routine physical after the Portland Trail Blazers dealt the NBA journeyman back to the Warriors as part of a four-team trade in February.

This year's March Madness has been just as wild as ever, with the third-ever No. 15 seed advancing past the first weekend in Princeton, to Farleigh Dickinson pulling off the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history, there's been plenty of reasons to tune in as a fan.The Chicago Bulls should also be keeping their eyes on the action, as there are quite a few players still participating in the tourney that would make welcome additions to the team for next season.

The Chicago Bulls are beginning to hit their stride, winning 3 in a row and 5 of their last 6.They have been able to re-enter the playoff race behind some excellent play from its stars, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.Additionally, they have been able to string together the best defensive rating in the league since Patrick Beverley joined the team
This combination has brought some excitement back to the franchise as they find themselves in the thick of the playoff race as the season winds down.

The Toronto Raptors would not have been able to take down the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals way back in 2019 without the contributions of expert 3-point marksman Norman Powell.He's shown after leaving Toronto that he is still an elite shooter.After being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Trent Jr. and eventually moving to the Los Angeles Clippers, Powell has made a nasty habit of poking his old team in the ribs ever so slightly.

LeBron James has been downgraded to out for Monday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers because of left ankle soreness, but coach Darvin Ham expects the Lakers' All-Star forward to play Wednesday night at home against New Orleans.James, who was listed as questionable on the injury report Sunday, will miss his third consecutive game.

LeBron James worked out hard after the Lakers completed their shoot-around Monday morning, battling in the post, running to the three-point arc, throwing down dunks, hitting pull-up jumpers, his sweat all over the Moda Center court.But James didn't play Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, missing his third consecutive game because of left ankle soreness.

The Washington Wizards were outgunned by the Golden State Warriors on Monday in an offense-first 135-126 affair.The Wiz had no problems scoring the ball as they shot a staggering 60 percent from the field; a shooting clip like that usually yields a win for any NBA team.But that's not the case when the opposing side shoot just as well while connecting on 20 of 40 three-pointers.

The Washington Wizards play the Portland Trail Blazers at 10 p.m. ET.Here are the odds!The odds*
According to DraftKings, the Wizards are 3.5 point underdogs compared to the Trail Blazers.The over-under for total scoring is 236 points.Washington is 12-18 on the road while Portland is 16-13 at home.By default, it shouldn't be surprising that the Wizards are underdogs, but they also aren't expected to lose by 20.