Game of the Week
Tuesday: Blazers at Heat, 4:30 p.m. at American Airlines Arena (CSN and NBATV)
Key matchup: The Blazers have been rewarded with their second Fan Night selection this year. This particular power forward matchup may not exactly be the reason why fans voted to view this game on NBATV, but LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Bosh should make for interesting theatre. When the teams met in Portland on Jan. 10, Bosh scored a game-high 29 points while Aldridge responded with 20.
Key stat: LeBron James set a franchise record after Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers. James has scored at least 30 points through five straight games and became only the third NBA player in history to hit that 30-point mark and shoot 60 percent in five consecutive games.
To win: Pray that James has car trouble. But if he can make it to the arena in time, then Nicolas Batum — and all of his help-side buddies — must try to slow James from his historic pace. Batum has the length and Wesley Matthews has a bit more bulk so likely they’ll both try to stand in the way between James and the basket. But let’s be real, James will get his. So, the Blazers need to make sure that other players don’t do damage. Easier said than done when Dwyane Wade has scored 20-plus in five straight games.
