Player Grades and Analysis for the Trail Blazers heartbreaking 132-125 OT loss to the Golden State Warriors
Starters
Damian Lillard: 36 points/10 assists/6 rebounds
While the stat line may be deceiving, it was a not a pretty outing for Damian Lillard. Sure, he had the gaudy scoring numbers and dished out plenty of assists, but for most of the game, he spent the time chucking up shots that had little chance of going in. His 18 three point attempts is a new career high. I don’t blame Lillard for his poor shooting though (30% from the field), as the minute Steph Curry checked into the game, you knew it was going to be a shootout between the two star guards. Unfortunately, the now-reigning MVP champ got the better of him. Grade: A-
CJ McCollum: 24 points/3 rebounds/3 steals
McCollum and Lillard scored a combined 33 points in the first half. In the third quarter though, the Warriors were able to shut them down, as the duo failed to score in the period. When things started to open up in the fourth, McCollum took full advantage, scoring eight points and nailing back-to-back three pointers with about seven minutes left in the game. Those two buckets were key when it looked like Golden State was primed to pull away (like they always seem to do). However, he got dribble happy and turned the ball over several times down the stretch. Overall, McCollum led the game with five total turnovers. It leaves me wondering what could have been if he was more careful with the ball in crunch time. Grade: B
Al-Farouq Aminu: 18 points/13 rebounds/1 block and steal
For seemingly the first time this season, Aminu was able to follow up a big performance with another one of equal or greater value. In fact, it’s the first time all year he’s scored at least 15 points after going for 20+ in the previous game. All season, we’ve had to live with Aminu’s boneheaded plays and incoherent dribbles, but last night he was one of only a few players that didn’t appear to have any sort of deficiency. If he can carry his new found consistency into next season, the Trail Blazers should be in an even better position then they find themselves right now. Grade: A
Maurice Harkless: 8 points/6 rebounds/1 steal
Even after being determined healthy for last night’s game, Harkless’ hip tweak seemed to bother him. He played just 17 minutes of action and made three field goals. With Aminu and Crabbe heating up, Harkless’ abilities were sidelined against the Warriors onslaught of talent. While he’s struggled a bit against GSW, the series won’t tell the whole story of how much the young forward has meant to this team’s success this season. Grade: C
Mason Plumlee: 12 points/15 rebounds/3 assists
Much like McCollum, Mason Plumlee’s shortfalls outweighed his contributions. Yes, his 15 rebounds were nice (seven offensive), but his lack of security with the ball was hard to overlook. He tied McCollum’s game high mark of five turnovers and was called for multiple illegal screens. Whether those were a result of flopping or not, at the end of the day, Plumlee didn’t get it done when the Blazers needed it most. Grade: C+
Next: Blazers Try to Steal Momentum
Sixth Man of the Game
Gerald Henderson: 6 points/2 rebounds/2 steals
Even though Allen Crabbe had the superior night scoring the ball (13 points), Henderson wins the award for sixth man. Forget his lackluster stat line, because his impact was made outside the box score. From the minute he stepped onto the court, he got into the Warriors’ heads, frustrating them more and more with every elbow and shoulder dust up. For a young team to have a veteran like that that can rile up the opponent is invaluable. Just ask Draymond Green. Grade: B