Trail Blazers soundly outplayed by Spurs in road loss
Final. 110. 29. 96. 34
The Portland Trail Blazers ran into a buzzsaw named the San Antonio Spurs, and got outworked and out-executed in nearly every way imaginable en route to a 96-110 loss. The Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard returned after missing 15 games with injury, and his motivated (and, frankly, flat-out fantastic) play pumped up both the team and the Spurs crowd. The Trail Blazers have now dropped two straight and have the unenviable task of facing the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow in Memphis.
Recap
The first half was a clinic in how well the Spurs play the game. Their point guards used screens to get to the middle and just hung out there, dribbling as the rest of the offense swirled around them. If they didn’t have the floater, they passed back out, and if they didn’t pass out they could drive all the way to the basket for the lay in, or just keep going around the underside of the basket a-la Steve Nash. When the inside wasn’t there, the Spurs’ perimeter play was doing its job. They were 6-15 from deep at the half. It was just gorgeous basketball.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers hanged tough, and the game was physical. The officials didn’t call much until right around halftime. Meyers Leonard was starting to get into it with Tiago Splitter, taking an elbow to the chops for his trouble. Speaking of Leonard, he was a perfect 3-3 from the floor with two blocks and two boards at the half, his newfound confidence becoming less a fluke and more the new norm.
Jan 16, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots the ball during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Portland’s steady feeding of LaMarcus Aldridge got him to 11 and six at the half, but it was Damian Lillard, who started penetrating and taking contact late in the second, leading all scorers with 6-9 shooting and 14 points. Yet, the Trail Blazers were losing the assist battle 17 to 12, the rebounding battle 23 to 16; the former you can live with, the latter not so much.
When all was said and done, the Trail Blazers were looking down the wrong end of a 60-52 deficit after the first 24 minutes.
They started aggressive in the third, and got the Spurs in the penalty (and gave Splitter his 4th foul) just a few minutes in, but despite the strong start and the continued brilliance of Aldridge, the Spurs made everything look easy.
Every time the Trail Blazers hit a three or made a series of stops, the Spurs would hit back. When Meyers hit his second three of the game to cut the lead to 12, Patty Mills took a three early in the shot clock… and hit it. The Trail Blazers ended up allowing a boatload of points, and Portland was actually pretty lucky to be down just 91-79 after three.
The fourth quarter a was hard to watch. The only way to put it is that it looked similar to the Spurs’ systematic dismantling of the Trail Blazers in the playoffs last year. The ball movement, the swarming defense, the inexplicable shot selection that still got buckets… it was all there. It would have been fun to watch as a Spurs fan. As a Trail Blazers fan, all you could do was lean back and admire it as Portland fell 96-110.
Players
Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge were their usual steady selves. Extra props go to Aldridge for being super, ultra aggressive in the third quarter once the Spurs had gone into the penalty. Lillard did the same, driving into the teeth of the defense and sacrificing his body. Both players were getting the calls that they sometimes don’t get, too. Aldridge finished with 24-8-3 with a steal and a block, Lillard with 23 points and five assists.
C.J. McCollum had a great game, particularly in the first half, and finished with 17 points on 7-10 shooting. He had a nice floater right near the end of the game, but he could have taken it a few other times. McCollum’s floater is the best on the team, but we either haven’t seen him play enough this season to notice, or he just isn’t using it.
The Trail Blazers’ fourth-leading scorer was none other than Meyers Leonard, who hit every single shot he took, be it from deep or from the line or anywhere else. His 12 points weren’t earth shattering, but his aggressiveness was, and with respect to his development: he got hit and hit back, and he was not getting pushed around. Since it’s been about a half dozen straight games of solid play, you can’t help but think this is the new normal, which is quite the gift for the Trail Blazers.
Wesley Matthews had two points… let’s hope it’s just bruised ribs he suffered last game and not anything more serious.
The only other thing to mention has been mentioned almost every game this season, but here goes: where is Nicolas Batum, and what is this shadow of a person pretending to be him? Is it his wrist? If so, he should rest. Is it his divorce, or some other pressure? If so, he should get the help he needs… and probably rest. No matter how you slice it, we’ve been watching a completely different player than the triple-double threat the Trail Blazers had last year, and it’s really starting to bum a lot of Trail Blazers fans out, myself included.
The Trail Blazers face a very tough Memphis squad tomorrow. It is conceivable that the Trail Blazers stumble into their first 3-game losing streak of the year, and it wouldn’t be all that bad, really. But getting a win on the road against a quality opponent without their two best defensive centers would be mammoth.