Trail Blazers complete comeback, top Hornets
This game had the trappings of a loss. The Charlotte Hornets came out motivated while the Trail Blazers fell behind by as many as 23 points before locking down defensively, and outscoring the Hornets by 12 in the decisive fourth quarter. The Hornet’s Gary Neal drove for what would have been the tying bucket as time expired, but upon review the basket was waved and the Blazers walked away winners.
Recap
The Trail Blazers didn’t look to deserve this one in the early goings. They were plagued by indecision, a stagnant offense, a refusal to fluster the Hornets on defense, and poor three-point shooting early. While the absence of Nicolas Batum with the knee contusion was notable, the loss of any one player shouldn’t bring a team to its knees, but that’s exactly what it looked like. The Trail Blazers’ perimeter shots looked like they were being taken under duress, and the shots at the bucket weren’t falling either. The Hornets took a 35-21 lead after one.
The second quarter saw much of the same. At one point, the Trail Blazers were shooting 33% overall and 0-6 from deep– not exactly a recipe for success. Add to that the free throw disparity (17 Charlotte attempts to just 6 for Portland), and that the Trail Blazers were simultaneously handling being pressured poorly AND not applying their own pressure. It was 64-51 at the half.
The Trail Blazers cut the lead down to single digits in the third, but couldn’t quite get over the hump. When they needed to be playing the Hornets closely to pull them out of their comfort zone, they instead played off them a bit to prevent the drive, which allowed Charlotte to make their own rhythm. It was still a 10-point game heading into the fourth, and it wasn’t looking good.
Nov 11, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) and Portland Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake (25) celebrate after the last second shot of the Charlotte Hornets was ruled not to have counted in the game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Then Steve Blake must have said, “Hey guys, I don’t take crap from anyone and we need to play tougher, so I’m going to go ahead and do that.” Amazing defensive effort from Blake on one end led to a fast break on the other. An assist from Blake to Kaman cut the Hornets’ lead to 87-83 with 9 to go. Consecutive Trail Blazers travels hurt their momentum, but they kept chipping away. A Lillard three and Aldridge’s first fourth-quarter bucket trimmed the Hornets lead to 92-90, but once again a huge run wasn’t in the card.
Instead, the Trail Blazers just kept chipping away with solid defense and high energy. An Aldridge tap to a Blake three gave the Trail Blazers their first lead of the game. More lockdown defense allowed Portland to stay in front (if only barely) and the Hornets’ last-ditch drive to force overtime was just a little late.
Players
Damian Lillard had a season-high 29 points to go along with seven assists and four boards, but coughed up a costly 6 turnovers. Without Batum to help facilitate the offense, Lillard stepped up.
LaMarcus Aldridge didn’t get going in the fourth, but was available had his number been called, taking advantage of opportunities to finish with 25 and 14. His contributions on the offensive glass were invaluable.
Wesley Matthews had 16 points and seven assists, but was just 2-9 from deep. No matter. his hustle and energy saved more than one play for the Trail Blazers, including the instance where he forced Lance Stephenson into a shot clock violation late in the game with the Trail Blazers nursing a 2-point lead.
Joel Freeland and Steve Blake did so many things that won’t show in the box score. From not biting on pump fakes to not allowing the Hornets to get comfortable offensively, there was a reason why the were still playing at the end of the fourth quarter.
Notes
- After being down more than 20, the Trail Blazers had no other way to get back into this besides defense. Blake (against Kemba Walker) and Freeland (against Al Jefferson) were particularly effective, and both were playing down the stretch during crunch time at a time when the starters would usually have already come back in.
- Second chance opportunities made this victory possible for Portland, who won the offensive rebounding battle 15-6.
- Matthews’ passing game flew under the radar, but his seven assists went a long way toward making up for Batum’s absence. It was just three short of his career-high.
No rest for the weary: the Blazers have their next game tomorrow at 6 against the Denver Nuggets in Denver.