The week ahead

Published 12:00 am Monday, January 15, 2018

A rundown of games and events to watch for locally and nationally from the world of sports (all times Pacific):

Tuesday

NBA basketball, Phoenix at Portland, 7 p.m. (NBCSNW): The Trail Blazers have not played more than two games in a row at the Moda Center in well over a month but now open a welcome three-game homestand against the Suns. Ahead are home dates with Indiana on Thursday and Dallas on Saturday as Portland fights to stay in playoff contention in the Western Conference.

Tuesday

Prep basketball, Mountain View at Bend boys, 7 p.m.; Bend at Mountain View girls, 7 p.m.; Redmond at Ridgeview boys, 5:45 p.m.; Redmond at Ridgeview girls, 7:30 p.m.: It’s a night of intracity rivalry games in the Intermountain Conference, featuring the Civil War matchups between the Cougars and the Lava Bears in Bend. In Redmond, the Panthers and Ravens square off in a boys/girls doubleheader at Ridgeview High.

Friday

Prep swimming, Bend City Meet, 5:45 p.m.: Bend High, Mountain View and Summit will face off for city bragging rights at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, where the Intermountain Conference championships will take place just three weeks later. The Lava Bears will be out to win the Mayor’s Cup, awarded to the school with the highest combined boys and girls team score, for the fourth year in a row.

Friday/Sunday

Women’s college basketball, Oregon at Oregon State, 8 p.m. Friday (Pac-12 Network); Oregon State at Oregon, 5 p.m. Sunday (Pac-12 Network): For the sixth straight season, the women’s Civil War series will play out on a single weekend in January. The Beavers have swept all five of the back-to-back matchups and have won 13 in a row overall against the Ducks, who will be looking to turn the tide.

Sunday

NFL football, AFC championship game, Jacksonville at New England, noon (CBS); NFC championship game, Minnesota at Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m. (Fox): The upstart Jaguars won at Pittsburgh but now face an even more daunting challenge as they take on the reigning Super Bowl champs. If the Vikings beat the Eagles, they will become the first team ever to play a Super Bowl at its home stadium, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.