Wesley Matthews out for season, Blazers beat Mavericks 94-75

The Portland Trail Blazers played uninspired ball until Wesley Matthews went down with a torn left achilles that will cause him to miss the rest of the season. The crisis pushed the moment, the Blazers woke up, and everyone contributed a little to the thoroughly convincing 94-75 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Blazers have now won five in a row, and are two games behind Memphis for the second spot in the Western Conference.

Recap

After the exhaustion of an overtime game on the road the night before, the Blazers came out of the gate a bit flat, falling behind 8-2 early. They recovered nicely, moving the ball and pulling ahead 11-10 with seven minutes to go in the quarter. Then they committed a bunch of silly turnovers, went cold, and Damian Lillard refused to take a shot. Yet another silly turnover to end the quarter had Portland limping to a 23-17 deficit after one. Lillard, Nicolas Batum, Matthews, and Arron Afflalo combined for two big points as LaMarcus Aldridge had 11 of the team’s 17.

Afflalo posted up to start the second, allowing Portland to build a modest lead. The Mavs were missing open shots, the Blazers were missing both lay ins and open shots, and Lillard still had 0 field goals. There was no rhythm for either team, but at least the Blazers made a run, ending the half on a 12-1 streak for the unlikely 40-36 lead.

The game was tied when Matthews went down with what at first looked like a foot injury. Replays showed his left foot pushing off as he drove forward, then his heel suddenly fell toward the ground. It was later confirmed that Matthews suffered an Achilles tear, and will miss the rest of the season. For a Blazers team that had finally gotten healthy and was nearly clicking on all cylinders again, this is a devastating blow.

Mar 5, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) is helped up after sustaining a leg injury in the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

However; Matthews’ injury flipped a switch that nothing else could. Lillard finally hit on a looping jumper after the ball almost squirted away from him, then he hit a three… then again from the same spot on the right elbow, and it was 50-44 Blazers. Alonzo Gee, Dorell Wright… literally everyone was stepping up as the Blazers made it 71-57 after three quarters.

The Blazers struck first in the final period, and a Batum three made it 78-63 with 8:30 to go. Mix in another Gee dunk, another Lillard three, a Batum triple, and a Robin Lopez three-point play, and the game was over. The 94-75 Blazers victory, but the 5-game winning streak were soured by the news about Matthews.

Players

Wesley Matthews is now done for the season and will face a minimum of eight months recovery after surgery. He is the Trail Blazers’ most ferocious competitor and will be sorely missed in every battle from here on out. Stay strong and get healthy, Wes.

It took the first half without a field goal, but Damian Lillard did wake up from his long slumber, finishing with 14-6-5 and two steals. Hopefully whatever was working in the second half for him marks the return of “normal Dame.”

LaMarcus Aldridge started hot, then cooled for 17 and 12 as the Mavericks made adjustments.

Nicolas Batum was again aggressive and very productive, getting 15-12-6 with a block. He’s scored 15 points in consecutive games for just the second time this season, and the first was just a few weeks ago.

If Robin Lopez‘s quiet domination allows him to fly under the radar a little, we’ll take it. Other players seem to respect him, as do the officials. His 13 and seven with three blocks stat line won’t shake the Earth, but his presence in the paint will.

Dorell Wright had his best game in recent memory, hitting 3-4 for eight points, including 2-2 from deep. The Blazers may need more of that moving forward.

Chris Kaman wasn’t stellar, but six points and seven boards with a steal is not bad. Three turnovers, though.

Arron Afflalo had six points, but needed nine shots and some free throws to get there. He did had three boards and two assists.

Alonzo Gee offered some nice dunks, one of them a standstill, en route to six points in his nine minutes.

Joel Freeland had three boards and a block in two minutes of garbage time, which extrapolates to 45 boards and 15 blocks per 30 minutes. Seems reasonable.

Notes

• 12 Blazers scored last night. Freeland got a pretty good look to make it 13, but it rimmed out.

• Aldridge hit his first three since the All-Star game, and his first regular season three since January.

The Blazers face the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road on Saturday, March 7th at 5:00 p.m. PST.

Next: Ray Allen declines Blazers' interest after Wesley Matthews injury