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

Tonight’s game starts at 7PM on CSN & NBATV. 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.

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 (pdf of specials here).

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Preview – Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets (14-11) vs. Portland Trailblazers (14-11)
Wednesday, February 8th, 7:00pm CSNW

Game Notes: On Monday, the Blazers had a chance to vault their hopes and season into an upper echelon but a single referee blew a goaltending call and now the Blazers see themselves just as proud as the Rockets. This will be somewhat of a revenge game after the Blazers lost in overtime to the Rockets earlier this season. Against Oklahoma City, the Blazers were missing Marcus Camby.  This game against the Houston Rockets should play out totally different with the Blazers winning.

Like the Blazers, the Rockets are a horrible road team. They have little energy and motivation when leaving Houston. They do have a star in Kevin Martin and he has had excellent games against the Blazers. Kyle Lowry is an all-star in waiting. Speaking of all-stars, the final line-up will be revealed Thursday and should include LaMarcus Aldridge this year.

The Rockets:

Starting Lineup: Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin, Samuel Dalembert, Luis Scola, Chandler Parsons

Bench: Courtney Lee, Patrick Patterson, Chase Budinger, Goran Dragic, Johnny Flynn

X’s and O’s:

Longer athletic defenders always have a good game defensively against LaMarcus Adridge. Raymond Felton will probably miss his second straight game due to an ankle injury. The Blazers are also coming off a heartbreaking loss on Monday while the Rockets are coming off an impressive win against the Nuggets. All that being said, this game is ripe for the Blazers. They still have one of the best home records in the NBA and should be hungry for the win. If the Blazers contain Lowry and limit him to either scoring or passing but not both, then the Blazers will have an advantage. On offense they are going to need to get Gerald Wallace going. He has not had the impact he had earlier this year and that is mostly due to the Blazers slowing down their pace. A quicker pace should open up the floor for Wallace and improve his stats.

Advantage Blazers:

Batum has been lighting it up for weeks now and there is no reason he shouldn’t be doing more of the same in this game. This will actually be his best matchup of the season so far. A rookie, Parsons is no match for Batum on either side of the ball and if Batum goes up against any bench players, then advantage Nicolas.

Last Words:

This can still be a successful home-stand for the Blazer with a win against the Rockets. Other teams in the Western Conference are dealing with heavy injuries so the Blazers can make a move this month. They will have a tough month with some road games and another three games in three nights but their fate is still in their hands.

Games this week:

@ New Orleans – 10^th

@ Dallas – 11^th

Washington - 14^th

@ Golden State – 15^th

Los Angeles Clippers – 16^th

Blazers coverage by Cain Stoneking, a life-long Oregonian who breathes Blazers basketball. During the offseason he enjoys backpacking and playing music in his local band Foxtrot. Follow him on twitter at Letsgoblazers, or write to him at lightcain@gmail.com.