Preseason may be preseason, but the Portland Trail Blazers have the most to prove in these first few games. Almost every spot on the team remains up for grabs, motivating regular backups to put their all into the game to show they deserve the minute pickup. Allen Crabbe, one of the few Blazer returnees, made his statement Thursday against the Warriors, where he led the team with 25 points on five threes and 75 percent shooting.

Portland already faced Sacramento once this week. They built up a 21-point lead and confidently pulled the starters for the fourth quarter. From the bench, they watched a mixture of the second and third team slowly lose grip on the lead, until finally Marco Belinelli put the Blazers to rest with a dagger three in overtime.

Blowing a 21-point lead doesn’t spice up a resume, so Portland’s bench came into the game versus Golden State with a chip on their shoulder. Once again, the starters developed a solid lead heading into the final 12 minutes. This time, however, the reserves made a point to not repeat their performance from Monday and dominated the fourth, expanding the lead from 10 to 17 in a 118-101 win.

Maurice Harkless was a no show on Thursday, and most likely won’t play tonight as well. He missed Friday’s practice with a concussion received during Wednesday’s practice. Coach Stotts said he will most likely travel with the team, but it is unknown how far into the protocol steps he is for being cleared to resume basketball activities.

Following Thursday’s win, Coach Stotts stated C.J. McCollum would assume the backup point guard role when Lillard was off the floor. New acquisitions Phil Pressey and Tim Frazier were reportedly battling for that role, but with McCollum taking most of the extra minutes left over by Lillard, they won’t see much time running the offense. Frazier played on Thursday, and Pressey is set to play tonight as the two continue to fight now over just a bench rotation spot, rather than the point.

Damian Lillard, the obvious first choice point guard, really advanced his leadership abilities against the Warriors. Despite shooting 17 percent from the field, he still racked up 22 points in 27 minutes and led the Blazers to a victory. The pick-and-roll offense ran between him and either Meyers Leonard or Mason Plumlee worked to perfection, opening them up for easy down low buckets or a lane to penetrate. Dame shot 17 free throws, nearly the Blazers average as a team from last year.

Two players to watch for in tonight’s game are Noah Vonleh and Al-Farouq Aminu. Vonleh will have his hands full guarding either Rudy Gay or DeMarcus Cousins, but is expected to play as he did in their previous matchup on Monday. Vonleh scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, most of which were on the offensive end. Coming off an underwhelming rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets, Vonleh must prove he’s worthy of the lottery pick and can lead the Blazers bench alongside Ed Davis and Allen Crabbe. His role is to spread the offense, allowing Davis to go to work down low and not be crowded with extra defenders. He’ll also run the pick and roll with either Pressey or McCollum, opening up a lot more opportunities to knock down outside shots.

Al-Farouq Aminu didn’t play on Monday due to the birth of his daughter. Tonight will be his first matchup against Sacramento, and will most likely have to handle Rudy Gay for a majority of the game. Gay can score at ease, but Aminu is credited for his defense against elite forwards.

Aminu won’t only be needed on defense though. On Thursday, he scored six of the first 10 Blazers points, and provided the spark offensively. His outside shooting didn’t persuade unfortunately, but his inside finishing helped him score 11 points in 24 minutes. Movement off the ball is key for Aminu while Lillard and Leonard or Plumlee run the pick and roll, as the defense is focused on them and leaves wingers open for easy buckets.