Trail Blazers outshoot Nuggets 120-114

Both teams playing on the second night of back-to-back, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets had every reason to phone in a tired, low-scoring affair and see how it played out. Instead, the teams combined for 177 shots and 234 points as the Trail Blazers stopped and started their way to the 120-114 win.

Pre-cap

To get an idea for the flow of this game, go to the ocean. Watch those rocks out there with the kelp and the barnacles on them. Then wait a few days as the rock is covered with water at high tide, then exposed as the tide goes back out. Flooded, dried. Flooded, dried.

Every time the Trail Blazers looked to crack this game open, Jameer Nelson would hit a three or a long two, and the Trail Blazers would go cold. The Nuggets fell behind double-digits more than once, and more than once they came back. Even with 26 seconds left in the game down 10, they got it down to four points. That’s just how this game went. Flooded, dried.

Even if the Trail Blazers were fully in control the whole way (as the eye test suggests), it wasn’t as convincing as you’d hope it would be. For a team struggling to coalesce in the face of the most drastic changes to hit its lineup in years and recovering from the worst slump of the season, you want to see the Trail Blazers get that killer instinct honed, and they couldn’t do that tonight.

That’s okay. They got the win, and it gives them some time to recover and bond and hopefully come back stronger next game against the Suns (again) at home on Monday.

Recap

Both teams jumped out quickly, and unfortunately for the Nuggets, Kenneth Faried got two quick fouls and had to check out. Arron Afflalo started 3-4 for six points, obviously wanting to play well against the team that traded him. There was no real flow, but we did get to see a classic Will Barton moment, even if he’s now in a Nuggets uniform: Dorell Wright erased a Barton lay in, but Barton took the ball out of bounds and threw it off Wright’s back for the dunk…. but then right after that, Barton fouled Wright for a clear path violation, giving the Trail Blazers two free throws and the ball. Portland led 31-25 after one.

The Blazers were clicking to start the second, going ahead 38-27 with nine minutes left. But Nelson hits two disgusting threes and a lay in (this would be a theme), and suddenly it was 40-37 with seven to go. Damian Lillard‘s defense was so bad that he couldn’t have kept a broom in front of him if it was leaning against a wall. It’s weird that someone so athletic can get twisted around so easily just staying in front of someone. Lillard ended up in foul trouble early.

Both teams had outbursts, but the Trail Blazers’ defense was not great, and the turnovers didn’t help. However; with two seconds left in the half and the Trail Blazers needing to inbound it the length of the floor, Afflalo was somehow wide open in the corner for the three. It was 58-53 Portland at the half, and Afflalo led all all scorers with 15 on 7-10 shooting.

The third quarter saw the Trail Blazers go on a run, then the Nuggets go on a run. Denver got to within four, but consecutive threes from LaMarcus Aldridge and Steve Blake pushed the Portland lead back to 76-66. Needing another body to throw at Aldridge, Denver tries Jusuf Nurkic, who started to get physical. So Aldridge drew a foul. Then another. Then a third foul, an and-one. Unfortunately, the Trail Blazers went cold, and the Nuggets crept back into it as Aldridge missed a free throw; 86-78 after three quarters.

The Trail Blazers’ inability to really put it away had the Trail Blazers Twitter account saying, “Finish them.” Instead, a 10-1 Denver run made it 86-82 lickity split. At least Portland was able to keep things from getting too wacky, but the lead grew to nine then shrunk to three over the next few minutes. A very timely Nicolas Batum three with 2:28 left made it 108-98, Robin Lopez hit some free throws, and Lillard stepped into a long two to make it 114-104 with one minute left, and while the Trail Blazers needed six more points, they indeed got the 120-114 win.

Players

LaMarcus Aldridge relishes when teams throw different bodies at him. J.J. Hickson can’t contain him. Neither can Faried. So when the Nuggets threw out Nurkic and told him to get rough with Aldridge, the Trail Blazers must have been chuckling. In short order, Aldridge had drawn three fouls from Nurkic, one of them an and-one. While Nurkic ended up shooting 5-5 for 10 points, his attempt to fluster Aldridge was both more memorable and more fun to watch. Aldridge finished with 32 and 11 with two assists. Only Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins have more 30 and 10 games this year than Aldridge.

Arron Afflalo was pumped to be playing the team that traded him, and it showed to the tune of 15 first-half points. Afflalo finished with 21 and five with two steals, and his 21 points were the most he’s scored as a Trail Blazer. He didn’t get the ball as much and wasn’t nearly as aggressive in the second half, but it’s tough to say whether that was by design or not. He still shot 8-11 for the game. He wasn’t just jacking them up.

All three of Nicolas Batum‘s threes felt like they came at timely points, but none was bigger than his triple with 2:30 left to push the lead to 10. He didn’t look like he was 100% (to be fair, he hasn’t really looked that way much this year), but he wasn’t shy. Batum carded 15 points and seven dimes with two boards and two steals. 

Chris Kaman must have had some of the water from the Fountain of Youth slipped into his Gatorade, because he looked good. The three turnovers burn, but you don’t shake a stick at Kaman’s 14 points on 7-12 shooting, nine boards, two dimes, and two blocks.

Robin Lopez towered over Hickson and Faried, and while his 12 points, eight boards, and two blocks won’t break the bank, he continues to impress with his ability to seal the opposition and allow his teammates to snag boards.

Steve Blake’s six points, five dimes, and two steals were solid. You’ll take 2-4 from deep from your backup point guard playing less than 20 minutes a game, and you’ll have fun watching Blake run around the court, probing the paint and running through to the other side. The Trail Blazers’ offense works best with a little bit of movement, and Blake offers that.

Notes

• The Trail Blazers’ “magic number” is now one. Thats the combined number of wins and Oklahoma City Thunder losses the Trail Blazers need to win the division and guarantee no worse than the fourth seed in the NBA playoffs.

• Will Barton was treated well by both the crowd and his former teammates.

The Trail Blazers get a single day of rest before facing the Suns on Monday, March 30th at 7:00 p.m. in the Moda Center.

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