The Portland Trail Blazers were welcomed back home from a 5-game road trip by a San Antonio Spurs team without their three best players, and the Trail Blazers got the 108-95 win. They are now 19-6 on the year.
Recap
The game started with a lot of Wesley Matthews, who scored the Trail Blazers’ first seven points (two threes and a free throw), but neither team was in rhythm: through six minutes, both the Trail Blazers and Spurs were shooting under 30%, and it was 12-12 with five minutes to go in the period. Before the end of the quarter the Spurs had cracked 40% and the Trail Blazers had not, but it was Portland with the 23-20 lead off a very Will Barton-esque leaning three-pointer as time expired.
The second quarter began about as sloppy as the first. A few minutes into the period, Allen Crabbe already had a pair of blocks, one of them an Anthony Davis-like swat of a jumper, and the bench was doing more than their fair share. When the starters came back in the Trail Blazers went on a mini run, pushing the lead to 10 halfway through the quarter. Predictably, the Spurs pushed back, trimming it to one before the Trail Blazers restored order, and took a 48-43 lead into halftime. Unfortunately, Lillard tweaked his ankle and spent the end of the quarter on the bench, trying without success to convince the trainers he was good to go back in.
The Trail Blazers had two players in double-digits at the half, Lillard (12pts) and Matthews (10), but LaMarcus Aldridge (four and three on 2-7 shooting) was struggling.
The third quarter didn’t see much movement, but as the game wore on you realized: the Spurs’ best players weren’t even playing, and they were giving the Trail Blazers all they could handle. Now that’s a solid system. Neither team could get much traction, but the Trail Blazers made a nice push to the end the quarter and went into fourth up 76-68, all the while shooting just 43%.
Both teams’ benches caught fire in the fourth, trading baskets as the Trail Blazers held on to a comfortable 8-10 point lead three minutes into the final period. After Barton made a surprise appearance in the first quarter, Thomas Robinson did the same in the fourth. With the game far from over, the Trail Blazers pushed the lead back to double-digits, then did about as much as they needed to do (but not much more) to get the 108-95 win… but to be honest, with the Spurs resting Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, it would have been nice to see the Trail Blazers win more convincingly.
Players
Damian Lillard had a career-high 10 rebounds. He also had 23 points, six assists, and two steals for one of his best all-around games of the year.
Wesley Matthew started hotter than an Arizona iron, hitting three of four from deep in the first and finished with 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting.
Nicolas Batum continues to be aggressive. He only had seven points to compliment his six assists, but at least he took enough shots to keep the defense honest.
Robin Lopez left the game in the third quarter with a hand injury and did not return, tallying four points and five boards. He has since been diagnosed with a broken hand. More on that to come.
LaMarcus Aldridge had a slow start but he turned it on in the fourth quarter when he was most needed. His final line was 23 and 14 with an assist and a steal.
Joel Freeland earned his keep off the bench, going 3-6 for six points with four boards. When Freeland is a part of the offense, any part of the offense, it makes the job of the rest of the bench a whole heck of a lot easier.
Allen Crabbe had eight points, and he’s averaging nearly five a game now. That’s getting into “last rotation player off the bench” territory, which is a far sight better than “not active” territory.
Will Barton got a surprise call in the first quarter, his first playing time since November 28, but aside from a last-ditch three to end the period, he didn’t do a whole lot. He finished with3-2-2, which is about all you can ask for someone in seven minutes I suppose.
Chris Kaman had 11 points, hitting four of his six shots and snagging a trio of rebounds. He is likely to get the call at starting center for the immediate future, so look for him to produce even more in coming weeks.
Notes
- It’s tough to take a whole lot from this one. The Trail Blazers had just come back from the road, playing a Spurs team without its best players, and they got the double-digit win. Predictable. Not exciting, but predictable.
The Trail Blazers take on the above .500 Milwaukee Bucks this Wednesday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m. PST in Portland.