Trail Blazers @ Hornets Game Thread
Back on December 16th, the Trail Blazers were able to eek out a 95-94 victory over the Bugs after nearly giving away a 12-point lead after three quarters. What got NOLA back into the thick of things? Long-range shooting. As a team they shot 11-20 from downtown, led by 3-point marksmen Ryan Anderson who did the majority of the damage, going 7-10 from behind the line. Anderson's 157 3's are tops in the NBA this season and he's shooting them at over a 40% clip. It's vital that LaMarcus Aldridge and JJ Hickson stick to him closely. For the Blazers, they must get their shooters in rhythm. When they've had success this season, Wesley Matthews is locked and loaded, Nicolas Batum isn't hesitating to pull the trigger and Luke Babbitt is spreading the floor off the bench. Portland is just the 26th best team in the league from distance, only converting on 34% of their attempts. If the Blazers can shoot over 40% from downtown, that'll help them end the trip the right way.
So Rip City, what are your keys to victory?
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