Report Card: Lillard Dominates in Win over Warriors

Player grades for the Trail Blazers 137-105 blow out victory over Steph Curry and the Warriors.

Damian Lillard: 51 points/7 assists/6 steals

Talk about a statement. Fresh off his all-star snub, Lillard fired back with the best game of his career. Matched up against the best player in the game, I expected Lillard to expend so much energy on defense that his scoring numbers would suffer. Boy was I wrong. Lillard had the arena rocking at a level not heard since .9 against the Rockets. In a game where Curry was supposed to make the headlines, Lillard snatched the spotlight from his hands, and made it brighter than ever. Even if the world isn’t fully aware of his talents, this game certainly made one thing clear: Damian Lillard is a MVP caliber star. Grade: A+

CJ McCollum: 21 points/7 assists/4 rebounds

While it was clearly Lillard’s night, McCollum ended up having a very solid game for the Trail Blazers. He amassed 21 points, while shooting 3-4 (.750%) from the three point line. That’s his best percentage from beyond the arc all season. Still, it wasn’t a flawless performance, as multiple traveling violations led to a team high six turnovers; his highest mark since 11/13 vs. Memphis where he had eight. Grade: A

Al-Farouq Aminu: 3 points/0 assists/6 rebounds

Although Aminu’s poor game will get lost in the media flurry, it’s worth noting that it wasn’t a great performance from the starting small forward. He made just one of his three shots, and failed to register a single assist. With Henderson and Crabbe both playing well of late, it will be interesting to see if Terry Stotts will consider tinkering the lineup to make one of them starter over Aminu. Grade: C

Noah Vonleh: 9 points/0 assists/4 rebounds

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After a four game hiatus, Vonleh returned to the court, and didn’t look half bad. He provided physicality in the paint, and looked more confident than ever on offense. He even made a three pointer, just the fifth time he has done so this season. Many thought that Meyers Leonard would eventually regain his spot in the starting five, but it looks like it’s heading in the other direction for the young big man. Leonard played just five minutes in garbage time, compared to +15 minutes from Vonleh, Davis, and Plumlee.

Mason Plumlee: 12 points/5 assists/5 rebounds

Plumlee had his usual well-rounded stat line and was the only Trail Blazer to amass 10+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds. Big men are typically lost in the small ball line up that the Warriors force their opponents to play, but he was able to capitalize on a weak GSW front line. Look for Plumlee to continue his balanced (yet somehow inconsistent) play as the season winds down. Grade: B+

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Sixth Man of the Game

Brian Roberts: 7 points/0 assists/0 rebounds

There were many noble efforts off the bench tonight, but I chose to go with Roberts strictly to make a point. This guy is a major improvement over Tim Frazier as the backup point guard and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get more minutes as his familiarity with Stotts grows. Remember this is a player who torched Portland for 17 points in late January when he was still with the Hornets. Last night’s quick look was just a glimpse of what he can do for this team down the stretch. Grade: B

Report Card: Lillard Dominates in Big Win over Warriors

By Perry Waggoner | Feb 20, 2016

Player grades for the Trail Blazers 137-105 blow out victory over Steph Curry and the Warriors.