Shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers put away Brooklyn Nets

Taking the court without LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum, the Portland Trail Blazers built a lead against the Brooklyn Nets early, then never let it get much smaller than 10 points as they earned the 97-87 win at the Moda Center. Meyers Leonard got the starting nod in Aldridge’s place and played admirably. Allen Crabbe got his third career start in place of Batum, and also played well. The win lifts the Trail Blazers’ record to 7-3. After a slow start the Trail Blazers have begun to look more like the team we expected them to be before the season started: free-flowing and tenacious on offense, and improved (if not great) on defense.

Recap

The game started with a lot of bricks. Both teams started 0-4 before Leonard rattled in a jumper about 2 minutes in. Robin Lopez, excited to show his brother that he has some offensive weapons too, missed his first three shots, and brother Brook Lopez was clearly winning the battle of the twins. Damian Lillard missed only his third free throw of the year, but he stayed aggressive, getting himself into a groove early that set the tone for the rest of his game.

But both teams continued to struggle from the field, making one wonder if the Blazers’ habit of playing down to their opponent’s level would carry over from last year. Absent a functional offense, the Trail Blazers forced the issue in the paint and were rewarded with free throws, but unfortunately they couldn’t capitalize, shooting just 6-12 from the line in the first quarter. But they made a few hustle plays leading to points, and without a ton of effort found themselves with a 24-15 lead after one quarter. Both teams shot near 30%.

The second started with lobs aplenty, not all of them converted, but entertaining nonetheless. Then the Trail Blazers started hitting threes: Leonard, Lillard, and Wesley Matthews all started getting brave from deep. The Trail Blazers’ lead hovered right around 10, neither team able to land a solid punch. Leonard was more than holding his own, as was the piecemeal lineup without two of their best players, and Portland led 50-39 at halftime. Of note: Portland’s bench was outscoring the Nets’ 17-3, and the Trail Blazers were 6-15 from deep while Brooklyn was 0-8.

Nov 15, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) and Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) position themselves for a rebound after a free throw at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

The Trail Blazers started the third looking for Robin, and he got four quick points. Operating from the high post, he also had a sweet pass in traffic to Lillard under the hoop, and whatever jitters he had over matching up with his brother had faded. Meanwhile, the ghost of Kevin Garnett popped in for some salty defense and a few buckets. Between that and their others starters, the Nets wouldn’t let themselves be blown out, the Trail Blazers’ lead continuing to hover around 10. Every time Brooklyn put on a mini-run, Portland had an answer. A spurt from the as-yet dormant Chris Kaman gave the Trail Blazers an 80-66 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The final period began with the Nets closing the gap ever so slightly. Some excellent hustle by the Trail Blazers on defense prevented a few opportunities from being cashed by the Nets, and it was enough to keep that 10-ish point lead stable. The way the game had gone to this point, it was a wonder the Trail Blazers had built a lead at all. But as the minutes ticked away, neither team could really bear down and make a push. The Nets cut it to six with 3:20 to go, but Leonard tapped out an offensive rebound, which led to a Matthews three to push the lead back t0 nine.

However, the Nets cut it to seven, and after Matthews threw away a lob attempt, the Nets felt they had an opportunity to make a jump. With possession off a timeout and just a minute left in the game, Brooklyn was unable to convert, and Garnett was left clinging to Matthews’ leg for a quick foul. A pair of Lillard free throws a few moments later seemingly sealed the deal, but Brooklyn’s very first three of the game cut the lead to 6 with 18 seconds to go. With memories of Golden State and blown inbounds plays fresh in the minds of the Trail Blazers, they had Crabbe on the sideline give it to Lillard who was mercifully fouled right away. He hit both free throws, which then shut the door, and gave the Trail Blazers the 97-87 victory.

Players

Damian Lillard had a fantastic night, setting a season high in assists with his first double-double of the year and finishing with 28-5-10, shooting 4-6 from deep and 8-14 overall. Lillard had some shifty hesitation dribbles that struck so quickly that you barely had any time to see the hesitation part of the move, let alone the explosion afterward that pushed him in the opposite direction. A great night for Lillard. He continues to solidify his status as an elite player after a rough start to the season.

Robin Lopez was outclassed on offense by his brother Brook, but held his own on the boards and the defensive end, which is exactly what the Blazers need from him. He had 10 and 7 with a block: not his best game, but he recovered nicely after a poor start.

Wesley Matthews was frequently overpowered by Joe Johnson… to his defense, he had to keep the defense afloat while still being asked to score on the other end. The shots weren’t falling for Matthews, but he still had 10 points with 5 boards and 3 assists. Pretty good for an off-game.

Meyers Leonard, starting for the ailing Aldridge, looked like he belonged on the court most of the time. This is a pretty big step from years past, and says something about trying to pigeonhole a player into a position based on his size. The 7’1″ Leonard is clearly more comfortable playing power forward than center. He also set a career-high with 12 rebounds and even kicked in 7 points on 3-7 shooting.

Allen Crabbe didn’t mess anything up in his 31 minutes, and looked more than willing to shoot when given the opportunity, which is exactly how the Trail Blazers’ like it. He tied his career-high in points by chipping in 8-2-2 with a steal and no turnovers.

Joel Freeland was a rebounding robot. All five of his rebounds came off the offensive glass, providing the Trail Blazers with crucial second-chance opportunities. This was huge as the Trail Blazers suffered through multiple streaks of cold shooting.

Steve Blake had seven points and seven assists. He has an uncanny ability to get to the lane and the curl around behind the basket to find shooters on the corners. He’s not super fast, but he’s crafty enough to get the room he needs to keep things circulation.

Chris Kaman, like many Trail Blazers, had a rough start, but more than made up for it in the second half on his way to 12 points and 5 rebounds.

Notes

• Johnson was abusing anyone the Trail Blazers threw at him in the post. Neither Matthews nor Crabbe were any match for him. Problems like that are what Batum is so good at mitigating.

• Rumblings from before the game were that the Nets had “circled” this game as a must-win. With the Trail Blazers playing without two key starters, you’d have thought they would come out with a little more punch than they did.

• The Nets shot 1-19 from deep, and that one came with 18 seconds left in the game. That’s 5.3 percent. Ouch.

• The Trail Blazers won the assist battle, 26-15.

The Trail Blazers have a light week, but face the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday at 7:00 p.m. PST in the Moda Center. An Anthony Davis – Aldridge faceoff will be interesting if Aldridge is healthy by then.

Next: Damian Lillard scores 28 with 10 assists: Full highlights