Rip City Project
Fansided

Report Card: Blazers Get Big – Not-So-Easy Win Over Pelicans

By Perry Waggoner

Mar 18, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives against New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Trail Blazers defeated the Pelicans 117-112. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives against New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Trail Blazers defeated the Pelicans 117-112. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Player grades from the Trail Blazers gritty 117-112 victory over Jrue Holiday and the New Orleans Pelicans

Starters

Damian Lillard: 33 points/6 assists/8 rebounds

Lillard was able to score 30+ once again after failing to do so in his each of last four outings. While he struggled to find his shot at times, he absolutely killed it at the free throw line (12-12 from the line). That makes it the fourth time this month in which he has made at least 10 shots from the charity stripe. His eight rebounds were also a welcome sight, as he hasn’t snagged that many boards since way back in mid-December. It was another MVP type performance and once he survived an assassination attempt by Kendrick Perkins, Lillard willed his team to the important road victory. Grade: A

CJ McCollum: 30 points/6 assists/3 rebounds

Despite Lillard scoring more points, CJ McCollum had the better overall performance. He was on fire from three (4-7) and also had his highest number of assists in about a month. Quite frankly, without McCollum’s game last night, the Trail Blazers would have lost that game by a considerable margin. His +21 plus/minus more than doubled any of his teammates (Lillard -4). With 11 field goals on the night, CJ’s mid-range magic might be the most valuable asset in Rip City. Grade: A+

Al-Farouq Aminu: 7 points/5 rebounds/1 steal

Aminu did very little against his former squad, pitching in seven points on just two made field goals and five rebounds. It looked like he had found his rhythm on offense over the last few games, but maybe Aminu just isn’t destined to be a consistent scorer. Typically his contributions on defense will outweigh his weaknesses on offense, but his talents went to waste against the likes of Alonzo Gee and Luke Babbitt. Grade: C

Noah Vonleh: 6 points/1 rebounds

It wasn’t one of Vonleh’s best performances, as the young big man scored just six points and grabbed a single rebound. With that one board, it becomes his lowest total since the third game of January. Terry Stotts has him out there to crash the glass, but he didn’t get it done against the Pelican’s front line. It should get easier against the Mavericks on Sunday, who are in the bottom half of the league for rebounds per game (42.9). Grade: C-

Mason Plumlee: 11 points/4 assists/6 rebounds

Plumlee’s load got a whole lot lighter once Anthony Davis left the game, which translated to some impressive numbers in the box score. Beyond just the basic categories, the most important improvement I saw in his game was the ability to knock down foul shots. He has notoriously struggled from the line this year, but after going 7-8 against the Pelicans it looks like he is starting to figure things out. Look for Mason’s brother, Marshall Plumlee, who has the Duke Blue Devils primed to continue their NCAA tournament journey at 11:40 A.M. against Yale. Grade: A

Next: More From Rip City Project

Sixth Man of the Game

Gerald Henderson: 19 points/6 rebounds/1 steal

I was tempted to give the nod to Ed Davis (who recorded a double-double), but Henderson’s performance was too hard to ignore. The veteran swing man had 19 points off the bench and supplied the Trail Blazers with irreplaceable energy throughout the contest. His hot shooting was even more welcome due to the abysmal night turned in by Allen Crabbe, who went 0-5 from the field. Grade: A+