Trail Blazers hit gas late, beat Raptors 102-97 in overtime
Final. 97. 81. 102. 34
The Portland Trail Blazers faced a formidable opponent (with apologies to Stephen Colbert) in the East-leading Toronto Raptors, who took it to the ice-cold Blazers early before Portland’s shots started falling late to force overtime. Despite many unforced errors, the Trail Blazers did more than enough to scrape out a well-earned 102-97 victory. They are now 26-7, and (still) have the most wins in the NBA.
Recap
The Trail Blazers kept it close in the first, then fell down double-digits in the second before fighting back to within seven at halftime, then fell down double-digits again before fighting back to within seven again after three quarters. There. That’s your recap for three quarters, because frankly this game didn’t start (for Trail Blazers fans) until the fourth. Before then, it was a symphony of missed shots, a cacophony of clanged threes, a chorus of clunked chucks the likes of which would make Josh Smith blush.
It really got started in the fourth, up to which point Trail Blazers fans (myself included) were firmly in a holding pattern waiting for the breakout, patiently twiddling their collective thumbs for the moment where they could get emotionally invested and open themselves to the possibility of a win or a loss. That moment came after a 90-second sequence in the fourth where the Trail Blazers went from nine points down to pull it within two. Game on.
With LaMarcus Aldridge on a supposed minutes restriction, he was grabbing rebounds, hitting a few shots, and being active in a deep fourth-quarter run. Damian Lillard was facilitating and remained a threat despite just a single bucket in the period. Nicolas Batum was contributing, Wesley Matthews was contributing, Steve Blake was contributing, and no one Trail Blazer was dominant, which, as it so happens, allows them to play their best team ball.
With everything copacetic, the Trail Blazers deficit was trimmed to five, then three, then one, and soon the Trail Blazers found themselves up two, with the ball, and 22 seconds left. All that was left was to hold the ball and take the foul, hit the free throws, and walk off the court winners. Unfortunately, Batum threw a questionable pass, a cross-court pukeball that Steve Blake was run out of bounds trying to grab. The Raptors scored, and Lillard’s lay in was blocked at the end of regulation. Overtime.
With his lesson learned, Batum protected the ball and played conservatively… nah just kidding, he threw another crosscourt pass that was predictably picked off, and Trail Blazers fans were wondering if he had a turnover addiction he just couldn’t kick. Toronto had already hit a three, and things weren’t looking good. Then the Trail Blazers got a stop and Lillard hit a three of his own… then Matthews hit one, too… then Batum hit a coffin corner, early-in-the-shot-clock bomb that gave the Blazers nine straight points and a 6-point lead in an overtime where neither team had hit anything but a triple.
After a flurry of official reviews, ranging from goaltending calls, to out-of-bounds calls, to clear path calls (one of which could have taken the Trail Blazers down after yet another terrible pass; the other which went against the Raptors and gave the Trail Blazers much-needed breathing room), they had a large enough lead to afford to crack even in the free-throw shooting battle. Portland walked away with the 102-97 victory.
Players
The unsung hero of this game is Joel Freeland. His Camby-like taps, his rebounds, his blinding verticality on defense, his blocks… he brought everything we needed him to in the absence of Robin Lopez and more. He had 12 boards, two blocks, and a steal. Never you mind about the points because Freeland had a terrific game.
LaMarcus Aldridge wasn’t even sure if he was going to play tonight after missing yesterday’s practice and a number of contests with an upper-respiratory illness. Minutes restrictions be damned, he carved out 41 minutes and rewarded the Trail Blazers with 23 points, 13 boards, and two assists with a block. This team needs Aldridge to win against high-caliber teams, and a win tonight would not have happened without him.
After a quiet game against the Knicks, Damian Lillard scored 26 points with nine assists, and tied a team-high with 2 blocks, including one late in regulation when the game was tied. The Trail Blazers have yet to lose a regular season overtime game at home in Lillard’s NBA career.
Wesley Matthews was the first Trail Blazer to break the three-point logjam that held them back early, when the team was seemingly 0 for a bazillion from deep. He contributed 19-6-3 in 42 minutes.
Nicolas Batum is looking more and more like the Batum of old… but still with some sloppy passing. Sometimes he cancels out his own contributions with self-imposed detriments that make having a measurable, positive impact tricky. Despite his two costly turnovers he added 13-3-3 with three steals.
Chris Kaman was the only bench player to get to double figures with 10 and eight, but the game didn’t really seem to suit his style, but he got the minutes for lack of other reliable options. Dorell Wright and Steve Blake were the only other Trail Blazers to get double-digit minutes, and C.J. McCollum was the only other Trail Blazer to play at all.
The Trail Blazers get a few days of rest before facing the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. PST in the Moda Center.