Player grades from the Trail Blazers 103-95 victory over Pau Gasol and the injury riddled Bulls.
Starters
Damian Lillard: 31 points/4 assists/4 rebounds
After an unusual off night against Houston, Lillard fired back with a strong showing. He took twice as many shots as any other player on the roster. With McCollum struggling to find his shot, Lillard’s 13 baskets were well received. He has now scored 30+ points in five out of six games, and will look to continue his hot streak versus the Pacers on Sunday. Sunday’s are kind to Lillard, as he averages 27.6 PPG. Grade: A
CJ McCollum: 6 points/7 assists/3 rebounds
It’s safe to say that McCollum had his worst game of the season last night against the Bulls. He shot a horrendous 1-12 (.083%) from the field, and didn’t hit a single three-pointer for the first time in over nine games. Scoring just six points, it marked the first time all year that McCollum has failed to reach double-digits. Before last night he was the only Trail Blazers player who hadn’t scored less than ten points in a game. Despite the nightmare game, he still was able to make some positive impacts on the game. His seven assists led all players on the team. Grade: C-
Al-Farouq Aminu: 2 points/1 assist/2 rebounds
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Aminu played in just 21 minutes of the action while chipping in two points. It looked like he was back on track after averaging 11.5 points in the previous two games, but Aminu went back to his old tricks against the Bulls. He’s been the definition of inconsistency over the past two weeks, scoring either in double-digits or scoring less than four points. With a match up against Paul George on Sunday, we might have to wait for an offensive breakthrough until the next game. Grade: D
Noah Vonleh: 5 points/3 rebounds/1 block
Vonleh had a minimal role once again in Chicago. Following a poor outing against Houston, he scored just five points, while snagging a mere three rebounds. Vonleh had eight rebounds against Utah last week, but has since struggled to grab more than three over the last three games. He did however, have the highlight of the game, with a monster slam in the 3rd quarter. Grade: C-
Mason Plumlee: 16 points/2 assists/9 rebounds
It was a masterful performance from Plumlee, who led the team in rebounds and was only outscored by Lillard. While he only made three field goals, his aggressiveness attacking the basket can be shown through his numbers at the free throw line. The big man made 10-13 from the charity stripe, which are season highs for both attempts and makes. In total, Plumlee’s 16 points was his highest mark since early January. Look for more performances like this as the road trip goes on. Grade: A
Sixth Man of the Game
Entire Bench: 42 points/26 rebounds/5 blocks
With McCollum and Aminu providing little to nothing on offense, Terry Stotts had to rely on his bench to score points. They responded in a big way, having one of their better performances of the year. Henderson and Crabbe both scored in double figures while Davis had nine points, nine rebounds, and five blocks. As a unit, their plus/minus was +49. Compare that to the starters plus/minus of -19, and it’s clear to see just how valuable they were to Portland getting the victory. Grade: A+