Report Card: Trail Blazers Beat Jazz 99-85

Trail Blazers Report Card – The top 6 contributors in Portland’s 99-85 blow out win over Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz.

Starters

Damian Lillard: 21 points/10 assists/7 rebounds

Lillard started where he left off on Sunday, hitting a near impossible three pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer in the opening moments of the game. He then went cold, and scored just three more points in the half. The 3rd quarter was much kinder to Lillard, who scored 13 of his 21 points in that period. He was just three rebounds away from the first triple double of his career, and if the Trail Blazers hadn’t pulled away to start the 4th, we might be telling a different story. Lillard has flirted with triple doubles many times in the past, most recently on December 12th, when he totaled 25 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds against the Mavericks. What made this performance so incredible was the fact that he did it in just 29 minutes- the lowest amount of minutes Lillard has played in a game all season. A+

CJ McCollum: 15 points/8 assists/3 rebounds

McCollum once again struggled to shoot the ball. His .300 FG% (6-20) was his lowest mark since December 7th vs. the Bucks. He has now failed to shoot better than .350% in four straight games (coincidentally the first four games back for Lillard). Although his woes have nothing to do with Lillard’s return, it will be interesting to watch the situation unfold over the next week or two. McCollum certainly isn’t taking less shots since Lillard’s return, as he has taken over 20 shots in each of those four games. With 8 assists in last night’s game, McCollum continues to show he can pass the ball just as effectively as he can shoot it. For a player who averaged just 2.7 APG in college, his improvements in that category are a very encouraging sign. A-

Al-Farouq Aminu: 10 points/7 rebounds/2 assists

Forget his routine 10 points, last night was all about defense for Aminu. The starting small forward was flying all over during Utah’s possessions, helping him collect a season high four blocks. In fact, his four swats are tied for the second highest mark of his career. He also added one steal and held Gordon Hayward to just five first half points. Even with his low scoring output, Aminu still had a plus/minus of +10, showing just how effective he was defensively. At this point in the season, it would be hard for anyone to argue against the fact that Aminu is Portland’s best overall defender. A consistent offensive game would be nice, but his contributions everywhere else are well worth the sacrifice. A-

Noah Vonleh: 4 points/1 assist/5 rebounds

Vonleh’s streak of scoreless ended at two, as the young big man was able to score 4 points on 2-7 shooting. Those 7 shots are actually tied for a season high, so at least he showed a glimpse of offensive aggressiveness. In his measly 19 minutes, Vonleh was able to make the play of the game, with a ferocious poster dunk on one of the most imposing players in the NBA, Rudy Gobert. That’s about it though…C

Mason Plumlee: 6 points/1 assist/6 rebounds

Plumlee has had some great games in January, but last night’s contest was not one of them. After taking 12 shots in the win against the Thunder, he took just 4 in Wednesday’s contest. In Plumlee’s defense, he didn’t have a lot of playing time to work with, as both Leonard and Davis got more minutes than him. Add in the fact that he was being guarded by Gobert, the Frenchman with a 7’9″wing span, and it’s understandable why Plumlee didn’t have a great game offensively. On the defensive side of the ball, he added two blocks and held Gobert to just 3 points on 0-5 shooting. B

Sixth Man of the Game

Gerald Henderson: 12 points/2 assists/2 rebounds

Sixth man of the game goes to Henderson, who not only tied for most points off the bench, but also led the entire team in scoring at halftime with 10 points. With Lillard and McCollum both cold for most of the first and second quarters his efforts were not only appreciated, but needed desperately. Only Lillard made more three pointers than Henderson, whose three shots made from downtown was the most since mid-December. With maybe the exception of Allen Crabbe, Portland is still looking for more consistency off the bench. Perhaps Henderson can answer the call. B+