Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Portland Trail Blazers needed to break their 2-game losing streak and did just that against the Indiana Pacers, 95-85. The Trail Blazers are now 18-6 on the year.
Recap
The first quarter looked like the setup of a long, grind-it-out affair that probably would have favored the Pacers. The Trail Blazers got up by as many as three, and the Pacers were up by as many as five, but neither team could land a good, square punch on the other, and it was 23-22 Pacers after one.
The second quarter began with an 11-2 Trail Blazers run that include three 3s, and that set the tone for the rest of the period. Steve Blake, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews… heck, pretty much everyone in black and red was getting in on it, as all Trail Blazers who checked into the game had scored by the end of the second quarter. Without a decent offense in their sparse bag of tricks, the Indiana’s defense would have to slow Portland if they had any hope of stemming Portland’s tide, but as the lead kept growing it became clear that wasn’t in the cards. The Trail Blazers rode a 22-8 run to close the half and pushed the lead to 20 at the break. It was their largest halftime lead since putting up 84 points on the Nuggets back in November. Damian Lillard and Matthews both had 10, Batum had nine, and Blake had eight with six assists at intermission.
The third quarter began with a LaMarcus Aldridge jumper, continued with more Aldridge, and had a splash of Aldridge as the lead billowed to 29. While the Pacers got it back down to 20, trading buckets doesn’t work so well when you are down a few dozen points. They must have gotten the memo, digging deep and getting spritely to close within 16 to end the third.
Stringing together a 12-0 run stretching back to the third quarter, the Pacers got the Trail Blazers’ lead got down to as few as 11 points, making Portland fans everywhere break into a cold December sweat. When both teams hit a rough stretch, the clock was the Trail Blazers’ best friend, and their double-digit lead persisted despite shooting 1 for 13 between the end of the third and about halfway through the fourth. A few buckets was all they needed to tidy things up, and they waltzed away with the win.
Players
LaMarcus Aldridge played nearly as well in the third quarter as he did in the first quarter yesterday, scoring 12 points in the period as the Trail Blazers built their big lead. He finished with 19 and 14, though he shot just 8-23.
Wesley Matthews is now the Trail Blazers’ second all-time three point leader with 718 threes, passing Damon Stoudamire and getting within about 60 of Terry Porter for the franchise record. He had 12 points and four rebounds, but shot just 2-6 from deep.
Damian Lillard did not shoot well, but stayed aggressive and had a nice highlight dunk. He took a beating all game, and by the final horn he looked absolutely exhausted as he gave his on-camera interview with Mike Barrett. When asked by Barrett whether fatigue became a factor, Lillard responded that the Trail Blazers had lost two straight, and needed to do whatever it took to get the win. Dame did that. 18-3-4 with a steal and a +/- of +13 to lead the team.
Nicolas Batum looked so comfortable, so willing to find his shot (particularly in the first half) that you wouldn’t know how hard he’s been struggling all year if you hadn’t been watching. He was 6-11 with 14 points, four boards, five assists, and three steals. A very Batum-like game when such games have been lacking of late.
Robin Lopez needs to coin a term for boxing out your man specifically to let your teammate get the rebound instead of grabbing it yourself. Rebound-Assist? Doesn’t really roll off the tongue. He chipped in eight points and eight rebounds with three blocks and a couple assists.
Steve Blake had a phenomenal second quarter, giving the Trail Blazers a punch from the bench they desperately missed last night. He finished with eight points, seven assists, a steal, and a rare block– just his second of the season.
Chris Kaman had 10 and six with an assist, but I still don’t like his shot selection sometimes. Maybe I’m being nitpicky, because having your bench be willing and able to score is a sight better than the alternative, but sometimes I wish he’d pick his shots a little more carefully.
Notes
- The Trail Blazers are now 4-1 on the second night of back-to-backs this season.
- They also now have 10 games this year in which they’ve held opponents to 90 points or less, top in the NBA. After two years of talk about defense being a priority, we’re seeing it in action now.