Imagine you’re looking at a cowboy. At a “dude.” And this particular dude is a dusty denim shirt, worn leather boots that have been re-soled umpteen times, a belt buckle the size of Texas – the works.
And so this dude saunters back home after a time away and moseys to his favorite saloon. He kicks open the door. And he sees a stranger sitting at his spot on the bar.
Big mistake.
So the dude gives the room a look-see. Everyone stops: the piano’s gone silent. The cards stop shuffling. The ladies on the balcony aren’t flapping their dresses. Just silence.
“What are you doing there, mister?” says the dude.
“Well,” responds the stranger, “I reckon I’m having a drink.”
The dude chuckles. “Well, is that right, then?” He flicks a piece of something from his shirt. “Well, then I reckon you better have that drink someplace else, mister,” the dude says, pointing. “That’s my spot.”
The stranger looks down at his drink on the bar. “Is that so?” asks the stranger.
“It is,” says the dude.
“Well,” the stranger says, meeting the dude’s gaze, the room stiller than a dry riverbed. “It sounds to me like you’re looking for a blowout, mister.” The stranger gets off the stool. “Is it a blowout you’re looking for?” The stranger paces toward the dude. “Because if it’s a blowout you’re looking for,” his voice rising, “WELL THEN, IT’S A BLOWOUT YOU’RE GONNA GET!”
The stranger lunges at the dude face-first, arms behind his back, stumbling forward. The dude hits him once. Twice. The strangers’ arms are still behind his back. “YOU WANNA BLOWOUT, MISTER?” the stranger yells, “‘CAUSE YER GETTIN’ A BLOWOUT!”
As the dude wails on the stranger, the room relaxes. The piano goes back to work. The cards shuffle. The ladies start flapping away.
And, in the end, the dude and the stranger both got exactly what they wanted.
The Portland Trail Blazers, if you haven’t guessed, played the part of the dude, needing a win in which to rest their starters and jockey for playoff position. The part of the stranger was played by the Minnesota Timberwolves, down multiple players and looking forward to the lottery.
The Trail Blazers needed a win. The Timberwolves needed a loss. And with that, the Trail Blazers rode into the thin Portland night with a 116-91 win. And it wasn’t even that close.
Recap
Apr. 08, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum (88) passes the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kevin Martin (23) looks on during the first quarter of the game at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
There’s not a ton to pick through or recap here from the team’s perspective (we’ll do some of that that when we zone in on the players in a bit).
The Trail Blazers led from start to finish. The lead hit 30 at one point. The Portland starters were pretty much done after three quarters (save for Robin Lopez), but they didn’t even need to be in that long. Newly signed Tim Frazier played five whole minutes.
Every Trail Blazer eligible to play tonight scored except Steve Blake. Heck, even Alonzo Gee hit just his second three since joining the team in February.
It was a blowout among blowouts. And as much fun as it would have been to see a 40-point nuclear bomb of a lead, it may have well have been that many.
The game was never, ever in question.
Players
There isn’t anything LaMarcus Aldridge did that we haven’t seen before (24 and 14), but he did that in under 30 minutes. Now, either he’s really good, or the Timberwolves had absolutely nobody who could guard him. Or both. Probably both.
Damian Lillard didn’t play his finest game, but he plays best when he knows he’s needed. And he was not needed tonight. 17-2-6 from him.
Nicolas Batum‘s three-point stroke has been awesome lately, and this will come in very handy in the playoffs. He finished with 11-6-5 and three steals while shooting 75% from downtown. More of that, please.
Robin Lopez was very happy to put last game behind him, and shot 7-8 for 18 points, by far his most effective offensive showing in months, and nearly his season-high.
Arron Afflalo would have been the one starter you really wanted to see break loose and have a good game, but he didn’t get there. He scored the first four points of the game and did not score again, shooting 1-7 overall.
Now the fun part: Meyers Leonard. Oh, Meyers, how you do tease! What are you going to try today? A jab step from the corner? Don’t mind if you do! A drive to a spin move to a jumper? Why not! None of these moves were particularly fruitful, but you really like seeing him try to expand his repertoire, and this was the perfect game to do it. He finished with six and 10 and a few dimes, so it was all gravy.
C.J. McCollum, with his 13 points, continues to build on his career-high streak of games with double-digit scoring, which now stands at five. It’s becoming more likely that he will be called upon during the upcoming playoffs. The more he can reinforce that Terry Stotts can depend on him now, the better it will be for him and the team later.
The Trail Blazers fly right out to Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors in a game they are not expected to win, but with extra energy after this restful evening.
Next: Blazers break franchise 3PT record with unique changes