The Portland Trail Blazers took on the Utah Jazz in a Wednesday night (Dec. 21) preseason game. It was the second time in three nights that the two teams had played, but this game was much closer than the first one.

LaMarcus Aldridge was back in the lineup after sitting out the first game, but starting center Marcus Camby was getting a rest. The starting lineup for the night was Raymond Felton at point guard, Wesley Matthews at shooting guard, Gerald Wallace at small forward , Aldridge at power forward and Kurt Thomas at center. This is exactly why Thomas got signed during the offseason, because he can fill in for Camby when nights off become a need.

On Monday (Dec. 19) I wrote about how easily the Blazers handled the Jazz, but this game was not like the first one at all. There was certainly a lot of second half excitement though, especially when the Jazz went up by 10 points with just over eight minutes left in the game. With just four minutes left in the game, the Blazers had cut the lead to 82-78 and had a chance to score and make it even closer. It got even more exciting in the last few moments though.

With just 56 seconds left on the clock Aldridge stole the ball and Matthews hit a three-point shot to bring the Blazers within one point at 90-89. The Blazers then got the ball back with 28 second left and a chance to win it but Aldridge missed a shot and the comeback came to a halt. The Blazers had one more chance with two second left but Crawford missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game. Though it ended with a 92-89 loss, this is the exciting basketball that we have waited to see through the NBA lockout.

The Blazers finished just 28-of-79 from the field (35 percent) and 7-of-22 from three-point range (32 percent). It was a tough night for Jamal Crawford (3-of-16) and Aldridge (5-of-17), but hopefully they both snap out of it when the preseason comes to an end.

The first regular season game for the Blazers is on Monday, Dec. 26 when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the only game that the two teams will play against each other this year.

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*Ryan is a Northwest bred sports fan that has been a Portland Trail Blazers fan for years. He doesn’t miss a game, and has high hopes that the Blazers can improve their roster during the offseason and come back even better in the 2011-12 NBA season.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Portland Trail Blazers play a preseason game against the Utah Jazz on Monday (Dec. 19). It gives the Blazers a chance to finally take the floor against another team this preseason and it will provide an interesting look at what the team has this year.

This is the perfect team for the Blazers to open against, mainly because Utah is a team packed with size. That is a department where the Blazers might have a tough time with this year, especially with Greg Oden out recovering from an injury and LaMarcus Aldridge still recovering from a heart procedure. It leaves Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas and Gerald Wallace as the primary players with size in the middle.

It’s hard to predict what the starting lineup is going to look like without Aldridge in there, but it could simply mean that Wallace shifts to power forward and Nicolas Batum moved into the starting lineup. The starting guards are likely Wesley Matthews and Raymond Felton, with Jamal Crawford as the first guy off the bench. The other bench players likely to see a lot of action are Elliott Williams, Luke Babbitt, Armon Johnson and rookie point guard Nolan Smith. It’s not a bad rotation of players, and the preseason will dictate which of them is in line for the most regular season minutes.

Personally, I’m excited to see what Felton can do in a Nate McMillan style offense, especially if he gets asked to run some half-court sets. He is typically a run-and-gun type of point guard, which is where his strength will reside in this offense, but hopefully he is also adept at slowing things down for plays that feature Aldridge and Wallace down low.

For the first time in years the Blazers will take the court without having Brandon Roy on the bench. Even when he was in street clothes he always had a defined presence for the team, and it’s almost shocking to head into a season without him. Another question I have is whether the “three goggles” will return for this season, even though Rudy Fernandez and Andre Miller have left the team.

Monday’s preseason game is at 7 p.m. in the Rose Garden and then a re-match of the two teams will get played on Wednesday, Dec. 21 in Salt Lake City.

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Sources:

Blazers Full Schedule

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Blazers Team Page

Blazers Updated Roster

*Ryan is a Northwest bred sports fan that has been a Portland Trail Blazers fan for years. He doesn’t miss a game, and has high hopes that the Blazers can improve their roster during the offseason and come back even better in the 2011-12 NBA season.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

SALT LAKE CITY— The Utah Jazz have a preseason dancing partner.

Unfortunately for BYU fans, it is not Jimmer Fredette and the Sacramento Kings.

The Jazz will play a pair of exhibition contests against the Portland Trail Blazers, according to KSL.

Portland, which features former Jazz guard Wesley Matthews, will host Utah on Dec. 19. The two teams will then head to Salt Lake City for a Dec. 21 matchup at EnergySolutions Arena, according to at tweet by Jazz broadcaster David Locke.

Ticket information has not yet been released.

The NBA’s irregular season is set to begin on Dec. 25, though it’s believed the Jazz will start the following day. The original schedule had Utah hosting Denver on Monday, Dec. 26.

The full 66-game schedule has yet to be released, but could be coming this week, according to national reports.

Teams and agents have been allowed to begin discussing player movement, although nothing formal can be agreed upon until Dec. 9, pending ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement.

Players will also be welcome to use team facilities beginning Thursday after being locked out of NBA buildings since July 1.

Email: jody@desnews.comTwitter: DJJazzyJody