Rip City Project
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Report Card for Portland’s 104-108 Loss to Denver

By Perry Waggoner

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A report card for all 9 players who contributed to the Trail Blazers 104-108 loss to the Nuggets.

Starters

Damian Lillard: 30 points/7 assists/3 rebounds

Just another outstanding performance from the 2 time all-star. Lillard has now scored 30+ points in 3 out of the 8 games so far for Portland. What made this 30+ point outing greater than previous ones was the FG’s it took for him to reach that mark. In the 2 games prior, Dame made 14 shots. Against Denver, he made 5 fewer buckets, yet got virtually the same result. This is attributed to his 9 foul shots he accumulated, in which he was 100% in. A

CJ McCollum: 16 points/2 assists/3 rebounds

Not McCollum’s best outing, as the 3 year guard only shot 6-15 from the field. Doesn’t sound all that bad, but considering he had shot .506 the previous four games, it was a significant decrease. Still, he found ways to make his mark, putting together a stretch near the end of the game of 7 straight points that brought the Blazers ahead by 1. His +/- of negative 11 was second lowest on the night behind Noah Vonleh. B

Al-Farouq Aminu: 12 points/2 assists/4 rebounds

The “Chief” had the second worst field goal percentage of anyone on either sideline last night. His .313% was only above Danillo Gallinari, who shot an atrocious .200%. He took numerous ill-advised 3 point heaves that cost the Blazers a chance at better looks. If I’m Al-Farouq, and a I take a look at the box score, I should realize that when I take the same amount of 3 pointers as Lillard, I should probably(definitely) tone it down. He did however, have a key steal and dunk in the 4th quarter to tie the game up at 93. Seven three point attempts though…C+

Meyers Leonard: 11 points/4 assists/9 rebounds

Meyers Leonard is alive ladies and gentlemen! After 4 games of averaging 3.75 points and 2.75 rebounds, he has turned it around swimmingly.  This marks the 3rd game in a row with double digit scoring, and his best game on the boards for the entire season. I want to expect 9+ rebounds from Leonard every night, but considering how much time he spends picking daisies at the 3 point line, it’s not likely. B+

Mason Plumlee:  15 points/2 assists/7 rebounds

The center from Duke may have had is best game as a Trail Blazers last night. He had a well rounded stat line that included 2 blocks and 2 steals, which were tops for the entire team. He is beginning to look more and more comfortable in his role, and should continue to see 30+ minutes each game. As the games go by, he is also beginning to look like the guy who averaged a double double as a starter for Brooklyn last season. A-

Bench

Ed Davis: 3 points/1 assists/5 rebounds

It’s been a tough stretch of games for Davis, who hasn’t scored in double figures since opening night. He only took 1 shot the entire game in just 15 minutes of play. Personally, I think he is a solid big man who should start for Portland. Let Leonard come off the bench, and give Davis a chance to play with some more minutes. D+

More from Rip City Project

Noah Vonleh: 0 points/0 assists/2 rebounds

Vonleh had by far the lowest plus/minus of any player for both teams at -15. In essence, it’s quite plausible to say that if Stotts wouldn’t have player him at all, the Blazer might have gotten a win. It’s not a guarantee, but when a team scores 15 points more than your own when you’re on the court, it’s not a good look. D-

Maurice Harkless:  6 points/1 assists/3 rebounds

Not Moe’s best game this year, but certainly not his worst either(see game versus Pistons). He shot only one 3 pointer, which he made late in the 1st quarter. It appears to me that even after 2 straight games of double digit scoring nights, Stotts has begun to play Crabbe more than Harkless, like earlier in the year. C-

Allen Crabbe: 11 points/1 assists/3 rebounds

Crabbe had a solid game for the Blazers, being the only member off the bench to score in double figures. After a one point outing against the Jazz, he has looked much better. He is averaging 12.3 points over the past 3 games. B-