Prediction time! I know you might think I'm crazy, but I think the Blazers are going to win tonight in Milwaukee!  

Look, I know it's the second night of a back-to-back for Portland which lost last night at Philadelphia 101-100 when LaMarcus Aldridge's fallaway jumper and Wesley Matthews' frantic tip at the buzzer both missed in the final second.  And I know Milwaukee had the night off and will be well-rested for the game against the Blazers.

But here's why I think Portland will win. These Blazers don't know the meaning of "quit" and are in desperate need of a victory to enhance their slim playoff chances. Milwaukee, on the other hand, is already in solid position (#8 in the Eastern Conference) and will almost certainly be a playoff team.  The Bucks are 7.5 games ahead of their nearest challenger, so unless they have a complete meltdown they're going to be involved in the postseason.  So the Bucks are in, and it's a pretty sure thing that Milwaukee will open the playoffs on the road. The Bucks are currently 5 games behind the #4 team in the East with 17 games left in the regular season. Milwaukee would also have to leapfrog 3 teams in order to get homecourt advantage in the playoffs.  Unlikely.  That being said, I think the Blazers need this game more than the Bucks and they'll play with a greater sense of urgency. That's one reason I think the Blazers will win.

Also, the Bucks are very beatable at home. Despite being a playoff team, they're only 17-16 at home this season, so I see the Blazers coming out strong and taking it to Milwaukee. 

One other thing, and I hate to even mention it. If the Blazers don't win tonight, I think you can stick a fork in the Blazers' playoff chances. If they don't win tonight, they're done.  Not mathematically, but done, just the same.  With the last three games of this roadtrip at Chicago, Atlanta, and OKC, the toughest games are still to come. It's win tonight, or else Blazers management might begin thinking full-time about next season and who the Blazers might consider drafting in the June lottery.