Blazers-Kings: Preview

The Kings and Blazers are two teams heading in similar directions. The Kings, once an almost-respectable 5-8 have dropped their last two games, leaving them ahead of only about seven teams, record-wise. Meanwhile, Portland is 8-6 and just one game off the pace set by Denver. However, Portland has a tough schedule coming up while Denver looks to having six of their next nine at home and among the road games are teams such as the Clippers, Timberwolves, and Kings. In other words, Portland is likely to be looking up at Denver by four or five games within the next couple of weeks, as the schedules favor Denver. The Blazers will be fortunate to go 3-3 in their next six, five of which are on the road in places like Detroit, Toronto and Boston. That makes the home game against the Kings a key game. Portland is coming off a disappointing performance in Phoenix. Defensively, the Blazers performed very well and did everything they needed in order to have a chance to win. Unfortunately, the offense ... (link)