Report Card: Trail Blazers’ Streak Fossilized By Raptors

Player grades from the Trail Blazers 110-103 loss to Kyle Lowry and the red hot Raptors.

Starters

Damian Lillard: 27 points/11 assists/5 rebounds

Lillard was solid in last night’s loss, recording his second double-double in as many games. He even flirted with a triple double, as his five rebounds were fifth best on the team. Lillard was forced to take his game inside much more than he probably wanted to, because his three-point shot just wasn’t there. He has gone cold from beyond the arc of late, shooting just .199% over the last five games. Over those five games, he hasn’t made more than two threes in any contest, making it the longest streak of the season for Lillard. His fourth quarter explosion was just a little too late for the Trail Blazers. Grade: A

Forecast: Against Houston, Lillard should be able to get back on track from deep, as the Rockets allow the third most three pointers made per game.

CJ McCollum: 21 points/2 assists/6 rebounds

Although he wasn’t quite able to match his 30-point performance from Tuesday, McCollum was still able to put up some impressive numbers. While Lillard struggled with his shot for most of the game, McCollum made up for it, leading all Trail Blazers with four made shots from deep. The major knock on McCollum was his leniency with the ball, as he also led the team with five turnovers. On multiple occasions he would drive into the lane, leave his feet, and try to kick it out. This led to the Raptors easily snagging the ball from mid-air. McCollum has averaged a whopping 4.3 turnovers over the past three games, which nearly quadruples his career average of just 1.3. Grade: B+

Forecast: Going from the fourth best defensive team to the second worst should mean good things for McCollum who will be challenged by James Harden. Turnovers shouldn’t be an issue against the superstar Harden, who is anything but super defensively.

Maurice Harkless: 2 points/1 assist/1 rebound

If someone would have told me that Harkless would be in the starting lineup in mid-December, I might have bought that. But the guy hasn’t played more than 15 minutes in about a month and hasn’t been a factor for most games this season. It was no different last night, as he attempted just one field goal in 16 minutes of play. Virtually, he was a just a smaller version of what Vonleh has been bringing to the lineup. The difference here is that Vonleh can rebound well…makes me almost miss him…almost. Grade: D

Forecast: Stotts is the type of coach to stick with a lineup for a while even if it’s not working. Although I expect Harkless to start, my hopes aren’t high that he can produce at the level a starting player should.

Al-Farouq Aminu: 7 points/0 assists/4 rebounds

Aminu was a near non-factor in last night’s defeat. He played 32 minutes and made just three shots. Some of his struggles may be due to his shift to the stretch four position (due to Vonleh being out with an ankle injury). It was Aminu’s first game not starting at the three and if Terry Stotts decides to stick with this smaller lineup expect Aminu to adjust accordingly. It’s worth noting that he recorded a steal, making it 14 straight games with at least one. Grade: C+

Forecast: The good news for Aminu is that the Rockets tout one of the smallest lineups in the NBA. If he does end up playing power forward he will match up against Trevor Ariza and Josh Smith.

Mason Plumlee: 6 points/0 assists/4 rebounds

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Even though Plumlee didn’t have a good night scoring the ball or rebounding the ball, the big man still managed to have the highest plus/minus of any Blazer (+4). He has now played exactly 20 minutes in the last three games, his longest streak of the season. Stotts apparently favors offense over defense late in games, as both Plumlee and Davis watched on as Meyers Leonard bumbled his way through crunch time minutes. If Plumlee gets 30 minutes, he very well may have recorded a double-double, so I will give him a…Grade: B-

Forecast: It doesn’t get any easier for Plumlee, who is forced to take on Dwight Howard, one of the best defensive centers in the league. He is currently 13th in blocks per game (1.54).

Sixth Man of the Game

Allen Crabbe: 17 points/1 assist/3 rebounds

Crabbe was all over the court for Portland last night, playing more minutes than starters McCollum and Aminu. Not only did he have his shot working (5-9), he was relied on to play tough D on the two headed monster of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. It’s not surprising to see Stotts turn to Crabbe in games like that, as he is a far superior defender to both Lillard and McCollum. What was different about last night’s game from Crabbe was the lack of need to rely on his outside shooting. He made just one three pointer, yet still managed 17 points through mid range jumpers and foul shots (tied a season high with 6 made free throws). Grade: A

Forecast: If Stotts does decide to switch up the lineup, Crabbe could be the beneficiary. If not, still look for him to play big time minutes against James Harden, a player Portland must slow down if they want a chance at winning Saturday’s game on the road.