Nicolas Batum thrives, but Trail Blazers’ comeback falls short

The Portland Trail Blazers, without LaMarcus Aldridge, fell behind by over 20 points early against the hungry Phoenix Suns. Despite being on the road and at much less than full strength, the ever-resilient Trail Blazers dug into an energy reserve usually found only in hibernating bears and clawed back behind an otherworldly, slump-busting effort from Nicolas Batum. Despite building a 5-point lead late, they made one too many slips, and the Suns got the win over Portland, 118-113.

Recap

The narrative of this game is simple: both teams were hot very early, then the Trail Blazers went down 25 after an 18-0 and a 14-4 Suns run that came one after the other. The Trail Blazers were dead. Done. Finished.

…but then again, these are the Trail Blazer’s we’re talking about here, and they went on a 13-0 run of their own and kept pushing. The Suns lead shrunk. The crowd quieted. The lights in the arena dimmed. And Batum… there aren’t enough words to contrast his performance tonight with his play over the preceding games.

With every movement, Batum was confident, aggressive, and attacking. Even when he made a simple handoff at the top of the key to Damian Lillard or Steve Blake, he did it like he meant it. His shots came frequently and easily.

After the game, Batum said that he had to step up because Aldridge was out, but we all know that wasn’t the only thing on his mind. All of the talk from disgruntled fans about a trade, all of the analysis from powdered television anchors about his inconsistency, all of his own self-criticism and introspection, all of it he not only shoved aside, but shoved into a little box, taped it shut, and mailed it to the North Pole. He looked absolutely nothing like we’ve seen all year, and it was stupendous.

With that context, it helps to know that Dorell Wright was also having one of his best games of the season, as was Chris Kaman… and that both Lillard was struggling, especially from deep, despite his final box score numbers. Without Aldridge, or Robin Lopez, or Joel Freeland… it was just a very interesting game.

And so, with that, the Trail Blazers found themselves almost inexplicably up by five points with two minutes left. Batum had just hit a shot clock-beating three. The momentum was in Portland’s favor.

Then Goran Dragic hit a three. Trail Blazers up two. They failed to convert on the other end, and Eric Bledsoe drove, and drew a foul, completing the and-1, that put the Suns up one. Even though there was plenty of time left, the Trail Blazers were hopping mad: mad at the officials, mad at themselves for allowing six points in under a minute, mad that they were ever down 25 in the first place. The games wasn’t over, not by a long shot, and with just 15 seconds left, Batum was fouled with the Trail Blazers down two.

He made the first. He missed the second.

In the postgame interview, Batum couldn’t get away from his missed free throw. “I had the free throw to tie the game, I didn’t make it, I missed it.” When asked if that moment, that one moment among many, in a game where his line was equalled only by the likes of LeBron, Durant, and four other players all season, was the moment that mattered, he said “yep.”

That free throw defined the game for Batum. But it shouldn’t. He had an unbelievable, otherworldly game. There was never a moment in which he wasn’t totally engaged. And when he plays that way, yeah, he’s among the NBA’s elite.

Players

This begins and ends with Nicolas Batum. He had 27 points, 10 boards, five dimes, and a block. What follows is a whole and complete list of every single player in the NBA to match that line: LeBron, Durant, Kobe Bryant, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, Eric Bledsoe. Full stop. That’s it. Batum had a game unlike almost every other player in the NBA, despite the solitary lapse that marred it for him.

Let’s get some perspective here: Batum has been in the midst of a horrible, soul-crushing slump. Fans are pissed. He’s pissed. With the Trail Blazers’ best player down for who knows how long, Batum realizes he needs to step up. And what does he do? Step up, in the biggest way possible. He needs praise for this game, and he needs it good and heavy, because if the Trail Blazers can see even a shadow of the Batum that played tonight, they will be an elite, deep-run playoff team when Aldridge, Lopez, and Freeland are back.

Damian Lillard struggled. He took some tough shots. The Suns’ backcourt harassed him, but if there is a positive here, it is that Lillard took it to the rack and got hit more than his fair share of times. He’s gotten much more comfortable with that. He’s not getting the superstar calls, but if he stays aggressive he’ll get there. He totaled 22 points with six assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

Wesley Matthews went 8-17, hitting two threes. Frankly, it was a surprise to see he had 22 points, which says two things: One, he scores even on his off-nights (crucial for a shorthanded team), and, two, although some missed opportunities were disappointing, 22 points, six boards, two dimes, and two steals is nearer to his floor than his ceiling when called into a starring role.

Chris Kaman came up big, but 10 of his 14 points came in the first quarter. He also had six boards and a block, but you can’t rely upon Kaman for heavy minutes, nor should you. He missed only two shots all night, and that’s tough to argue with, but he continues to have stone-hand syndrome if he gets the ball deep in the post, where it is sometimes more likely to be stripped and stolen than find its way into the Trail Blazers’ basket.

Dorell Wright started in Aldridge’s stead, and played about the best he has all season: 15 points, three boards, five assists, two steals, and some very timely shots that either extended runs or cut off those of Phoenix. He deserves a hearty clap on the back.

As does Meyers Leonard, who didn’t score but who I could have sworn was channeling the spirit of Lopez on some of his box-outs. There was one in particular: he pinned his man as the shot went up, held his ground, and by he time the ball was in rebounding space, there were only Trail Blazers to find it. He had eight boards, an assist, and a steal in what may be his most underrated game of the year.

Thomas Robinson‘s energy and determination were also huge, but were squeezed to the side of Batum’s turn-around narrative. Robinson’s six points, seven boards, and two blocks were every bit as good as they looked on paper. He, like Leonard, was fighting for and maintaining position to help his team even if it didn’t help his stats. Play like this will not only get him more court time, but is necessary if the Trail Blazers are to tread water in a LaMarcus-less world for any amount of time.

The Trail Blazers fly back home to face the Boston Celtics tomorrow. Better environment, lesser opponent, and an opportunity to pick up a win. We can only hope that they will be ready right out of the gate.

Next: Blazers have chance to regain traction against Celtics