Trail Blazers fall to Mavericks 114-98 in final game before playoffs
34. 114. 79. Final. 98
The shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers faced the Dallas Mavericks in the regular season finale for both teams that had no playoff implications for either. The Trail Blazers said they were looking to use this as a tune-up for the playoffs, and one can only hope that it’s a case of getting the kinks out of the hose before turning the water on. They fell 114-98 in a game that wasn’t often competitive.
Not a recap
The flow of this game: Mavericks score, Mavericks build lead, Trail Blazers play back into it, Mavericks laugh and build bigger lead, the end. The 15-0 run to open the third was the death rattle, but you could see this coming pretty much all game.
Before passing judgement, it’s important to note the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup: Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez are all fine and dandy… but you know something’s up when Alonzo Gee and Allen Crabbe join the party.
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That was explained by the absence of Nicolas Batum, who’s nursing a knee contusion from last game; Chris Kaman, who tweaked his back in the same game; C.J. McCollum, who rolled his ankle also in the same game; Aaron Afflalo, who’s been out for a few games with a shoulder strain, but might be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs; Dorell Wright, who’s broken hand won’t be mended until the second round (if the Blazers make it that far); and, of course, Wesley Matthews, whose torn achilles is mending nicely.
Those six players account for 40 percent of the team. Two starters, and a few more who are practically starters. That’s a lot of hurt.
With that in mind, the loss isn’t that bad, and you got to see things from players whose time in the playoffs will hopefully be limited. We say “hopefully,” because with any luck, Batum, McCollum, and Kaman will suit up for Game 1 (more on that shortly), and even Afflalo is sounding hopeful.
Players
As odd as this game was, it wouldn’t be fair to evaluate the players by the same metrics we would for a meaningful game. And make no mistake… this game was as meaningless as they come. It was the equivalent of phoning in your final paper when you know you can’t rise above or drop below a certain letter grade.
So let’s start with Tim Frazier. The plucky guard who spent most of his season with the NBA D-League got some serious run, giving theTrail Blazers their only double-double with 13 points and 10 assists (not to mention four boards) in 30 minutes. His court vision is excellent, and his passing is unlike that of any guard the Trail Blazers have had lately. Being an inexperienced player on a new team, the five turnovers were no surprise, but it seems an awful lot like maybe… just maybe… the Trail Blazers have found something here. And yes, he is playoff eligible.
LaMarcus Aldridge started by missing his first seven shots. Erase that, and he went 8-17, which still would have been under 50 percent. Most of his 24 attempts were shots he can hit. Maybe it’s better he got this out of his system now (after taking a few games off to rest) than in the playoffs.
Damian Lillard managed even more turnovers (6) than Frazier (5), and scored 17 on 5-11 shooting, but the two assists might be the most telling. Who was there to pass to, exactly? A cold LMA? Alonzo Gee? As we said, Lillard turns it on when he has to. He won’t have a game like this in the playoffs, as you could expect that 11 shot attempts will be far below what the Trail Blazers ask of him.
Steve Blake had the bounceback game he needed, going 4-7 from range for 14 points, five boards, and three dimes. He’s been struggling lately, and the Trail Blazers need him. It was good to see him establish any sort of rhythm.
Joel Freeland had another double-digit outing with 10 points, five boards, a block, and a few steals without a single turnover.
Meyers Leonard played respectably well, even if he didn’t get a three: 7-and-9 with a block. If you can get that from him, you take it, particularly if he can do it in the postseason.
Alonzo Gee and Allen Crabbe combined for 0-7 from deep. Yeowch. They scored eight apiece in an unremarkable game.
Playoff outlook
With the Spurs losing and the Rockets and Grizzlies both winning tonight, the Trail Blazers will face the Memphis Grizzlies and will not have home court advantage, despite Portland being the 4th seed (by virtue of winning their division) and Memphis being the 5th. Memphis has the better record, so they get home court.
Unfortunately, the Grizzlies swept the Trail Blazers during the regular season, but there are some caveats. Aldridge played only a small part of one of those games, and didn’t play at all in another.
Also, Memphis has been a .500 team for the last few months and, like the Trail Blazers, are not hitting the playoffs in their best form. While the Trail Blazers don’t match up particularly well with Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies don’t match up well with LaMarcus Aldridge. And we know that Lillard’s motor only really gets going when the stakes are high.
We’ll bring you more about the Trail Blazers’ playoff matchup with the Grizzlies in the coming days. Their first game comes Sunday, April 19th, so a few days’ rest will definitely do the team some good.