Portland Events, Music, Art, Entertainment, Sustainability | PDXPIPELINE.com

Coming off a rough loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Blazers bounced back and took down the Thunder of Oklahoma City. The Blazers now have the best record in the Western Conference and take on the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at the Rose Garden. Due to the shortened season, this is the ONLY time the Lakers play here this year, so it is sure to be a exciting game.

The Lakers have looked less than stellar so far this year with the loss of former sixth man Lamar Odom. However, Andrew Bynum has been a beast since his come-back from a four game suspension for trying to kill JJ Barea during last years playoffs.

The games starts at 7:30PM on TNT with Charles Barkley, Kenny, EJ, and Shaq! This will be a huge game with the national spotlight on the Blazers. If you do not have cable or want a good Portland establishment to enjoy with friends, here are several suggestions from our sponsors.

Watch Trailblazers Games in Portland:

Tanker Bar (Se Hawthorne & 48th) | (503) 445-4635 | More info: tankerbar.com
Tanker Bar will be playing all games on their 6 large LCD TVs. $1 Pabst during all Blazers & Football games, and $1 off Nachos during all games. 15 beers on tap, Buckhunter, free popcorn. After the game:  Naughty Bingo @ Tanker Bar | FREE, Hosted By Rocket, Dirty Prizes (More info)

Blitz (Ladd, Pearl, Tigard, NW 21) | More info: blitzbarpdx.webs.com
Blitz's FOUR locations will be happening as always with tons of televisions, drinks specials, and games (ping pong, shuffleboard, buckhunters, horseshoes in Tigard, and more).

East Burn (East Burnside & 18th) | (503) 236-2876 | More info: www.theeastburn.com
East Burn will have the game on a large projection screen on their heated patio and also downstairs. Recess discount menu from 3-6PM. They  have daily drink specials. 

-------------------------------------

Preview - Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers: 

By Cain Stoneking

Los Angeles Lakers (4-3) @ Portland Trailblazers (4-1)
Thursday, January 5th, 7:30pm TNT
Schedule: Portland Trail Blazers 2011-12 Schedule + Win Tickets

Game Notes: The Blazers are coming off their best game of the season: a 103 - 93 win against their division foe Oklahoma. With that win, the Blazers earned themselves the best record in the Western Conference and much respect around the league. They could really pour that on tonight with a win against the Lakers on national TV.

The Lakers had a rough start to the season, losing in the final seconds on Christmas to the Bulls and having their starting center suspended for four games. But, they are beginning to turn it around. In fact, Bynum had 20 points and 20 rebounds in his last outing and has been playing very well. This will be the only time the Lakers are in Portland this year and the only chance the Blazers will have to defeat them at home. However, the Blazers will face them twice in Los Angeles so this is a much needed win.

The Lakers:

Starting Lineup: Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Matt Barnes

Bench: Steve Blake, Metta World Peace, Troy Murphy, Jason Kapono, Josh McRoberts, Luke Walton
X’s and O’s:

The Lakers match up super well against the Blazers. They have a crafty veteran point guard in Derek Fisher, one of the best basketball players of all time in Kobe Bryant, size down low with probable all-stars Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and defense minded Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) coming off the bench. The Blazers will have to find a way to limit Bynum. Bynum is younger, faster and stronger than any of the centers the Blazers can throw at him. If they can find a way to do this, they will probably win.

Look to see Gerald Wallace and Wesley Matthews take turns covering Kobe. Wallace was the key component when he still played for those bad Bobcat teams that kept defeating the Lakers for years and was huge in the Blazers win against the Lakers last year. Offensively the Blazers should try and limit turnovers and get the ball to LaMarcus as early in the shot clock as possible. There is also no way to stop the Blazers when they are hitting their 3′s, but this team shouldn’t rely on living and dying from the arc.

Advantage Blazers:

Basketball is all about exploiting advantages. Yes the Lakers will try to pound the ball into Bynum, but the Blazers have a big advantage of their own with Raymond Felton. In the second half of their last game it finally looked like he had settled in with his teammates, and he couldn’t have picked a better time. He should have a huge advantage against the slow and older point guards of Derek Fisher and Steve Blake. There would be no surprise if this was Felton’s coming out game as a Blazer.

Last Words:

It is always an exciting game when the Blazers play the Lakers. It’s the biggest rivalry game in the city of Portland. The fans demand a win, and if Portland plays right, they should deliver that. Also look for Wallace to go off; he has history against Bynum as Bynum once collapsed Wallace’s lung, something Wallace has not forgotten.

Games this week:
@Phoenix – 6th
Cleveland – 8th
LA Clippers - 10th
Orland – 11th