Trail Blazers Vs. Pistons Game Thread
While the Trail Blazers certainly have had their fair share of bad losses this year, look for them to ride the wave of momentum from their 105-90 win over the Knicks and jump out quickly against the Pistons who are losers of seven straight. The key to a quick start is Nicolas Batum. After playing without a brace on his wrist against the Knicks, a more aggressive and assertive Batum showed up. Nic came out with a scorer's mentality, got a few buckets to drop, and finished with 16 points, on 6-10 shooting, to go along with his usual 6 assists 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. The team goes as Nic goes. In fact, Portland is 5-1 in games in which Nico scores 26 or more points. Watch the first few minutes closely to see which Trail Blazers squad shows up. Will it be one who is overlooking the slumping Pistons? Or will they play like the team that rattled off 13 straight points on the Knicks in the bat of an eye? If it's the latter, Portland could keep their momentum going right into their next five-game road trip.
So Rip City, what are your keys to victory?
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