Player grades from the Trail Blazers 109-91 win over the struggling Hornets.
Starters
Damian Lillard: 22 points/6 assists/5 rebounds
The freshly snubbed Lillard had a big night for Portland, leading the team in both points and assists. He came out with vengeance, easily making the play of the game with a poster dunk over Tyler Hansbrough late in the first quarter. Lillard has struggled with his shot of late (excluding a .737% effort against the Lakers). He has shot just .362% from the field over his last six games. Even with his recent issues, Damian Lillard is a bonafide all-star. Heck, I might go as far to say he is a bonafide all-star starter. Replace the “Lillard” on the back of his jersey with a “Harden”, or a “Paul”, and he is selected on the team no question. It just adds more fuel to the fire for a player that seems to always be in the furnace. Grade: A
CJ McCollum: 17 points/5 assists/5 rebounds
If it wasn’t for the snubbing of Lillard, we very well may have been discussing the snubbing of CJ McCollum. The 3 year guard has developed into one of the best shooting guards in the NBA, and deserved – at least – a serious consideration. In last night’s game McCollum didn’t reach the 20 point mark, making it 3 straight games he has failed to do so. Yet, if anyone has proven to be able to catch fire after several subpar performances, it’s McCollum. Earlier this January, he averaged just 13.6 points in a stretch of 3 games. The next 3, he pumped out an average of 27 points. Look for McCollum to start another hot streak on Sunday against the Timberwolves, who rank just 22nd in opponent PPG. Grade: B+
Al-Farouq Aminu: 17 points/1 assist/12 rebounds
Aminu had a fantastic game, tying a season best in points. It was an encouraging sign that he did so well offensively, as the product out of Wake Forest had only topped 10 points once in the last 5 games. His successes can largely be attributed to his aggressiveness on offense, as his 13 field goal attempts was his highest mark since January 10th. Defensively, no one was better against the Hornets than Aminu. While predominantly guarding former Blazer Nic Batum, he was able to hold the Frenchman to just 3 points on 1-11 shooting. Aminu is clearly the defensive leader for the Trail Blazers, he provides effort and length every minute he is in the game. Grade: A+
Noah Vonleh: 6 points/0 points/6 rebounds
After two straight double digit scoring efforts, Vonleh had just 6 points in last night’s game. Even so, I’m starting to like what I see out of Vonleh. Against his former team he looked more aggressive and confident than I’ve ever seen him. It doesn’t look like Terry Stotts is going to pull him from the starting lineup anytime soon and it doesn’t look like Vonleh is going to let him consider it anytime soon either. Grade: C
Mason Plumlee: 13 points/5 assists/12 rebounds
Mason Plumlee is not your father’s center. Last night, he continued to prove that he much more than a standard big man, facilitating the ball better than almost anyone else on the team. In fact, he led all players with 4 assists at the half. Beyond his impressive offensive stat line, he also chipped in 2 steals and 2 blocks. With 13 points last night, Plumlee has now scored in double figures for the 3rd straight game, tying a season high. Matched up against Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng on Sunday, he may have a hard time reaching that mark once again. Here’s to hoping he does, because the Trail Blazers are 12-10 in games in which Plumlee scores at least 10 points. Grade: A
Sixth Man of the Game
Allen Crabbe: 20 points/1 assist/3 rebounds
With 20 points in last night’s game, Crabbe now has a new career high coming off the bench. He also has a plus/minus of +25, nearly doubling every other player’s total. Most of Portland’s stability off the bench can be accredited to Crabbe, who has slowly developed into the team’s third best/consistent scoring option behind the backcourt duo of Lillard and McCollum. Grade: A+