The Portland Trail Blazers are preparing to face the Los Angeles Lakers tonight in front of their hometown Moda Center crowd. The Lakers sport LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a shiny 19-3 record, and their first claim to relevance since Kobe Bryant was in his prime. Once upon a time, Blazers-Lakers matchups were things of legends. This was the date Blazers fans would circle on the calendar; this was the game that made the month bright if the Blazers won it, no matter what else happened.
Intervening hard times for both teams have dimmed the matchup in recent years.