The Portland Trail Blazers comeback in dramatic fashion to defeat divisional rivals and main Western Conference competition – the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This game, like most Western Conference matchups these days, had major playoff implications. Third and ninth place in the West are separated by just 3.5 games with both Portland and Minnesota right in the mix.
With a win, the Blazers move to just 0.5 games back on the Timberwolves.
Portland played catch up basketball most of the game…but ended up catching fire in the late fourth quarter to steal the victory, 108-99.
Game Summary
The February magic disappeared in the first half for Damian Lillard. It took him ten attempts to make his first basket, and unfortunately CJ McCollum wasn’t there to make up for it. CJ shot just 3/9 from the the field (and Dame 2/12) through the first two quarters.
Bad shooting wore off on the rest of the team – Portland made 32.7% of its attempts at halftime. Fortunately, Ed Davis and Jusuf Nurkic combined for 18 first half points at 73% accuracy to keep the deficit at just five.
The third quarter saw Portland’s first three-pointer of the night. Nonetheless, shots continued to not fall, especially for Lillard and McCollum. But the Blazers closed the gap after a 7-0 run to end the quarter – they trailed 75-78.
An 8-0 run courtesy of Shabazz Napier gave Portland a lead midway through the fourth quarter. After some back and forth play, the three-pointers started falling and the Blazers jumped out to there biggest lead of the night (10).
A four-minute drought for the Timberwolves let the lead build up for Portland, effectively ending the game with over a minute remaining.
The Blazers came out winners, 108-99 and move to less than one game back on the T-Wolves.
Player of the Game
For the first time since January (February was Dame’s month), there was no obvious player of the game.
Nurkic and Davis started off hot, keeping Portland in it despite poor outside shooting. Then, Lillard started driving and converting on both layups and free throws.
Shabazz Napier took his shot at the award too, contributing to an 8-0 Blazers run in the fourth quarter with consecutive buckets and stellar defense.
But in the end, Lillard Time prevails as the All-Star continues his hot scoring streak. Dame finished the game with 35 points on 9/22 shooting, including CLUTCH three-pointers in the closing minutes.
Play of the Game
When you know what's coming but are powerless to stop it. pic.twitter.com/D0AKzODkaO
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 2, 2018
The caption says it all.
Lillard’s step back three-pointer is the clutchest shot in the NBA. There’s no way to defend it.
But instead of it beating the Lakers at the buzzer, the shot put icing on the cake tonight in Portland’s come-from-behind victory over Minnesota.
5 Stats from the Game
- It took until 10:10 in the third quarter for Portland to hit its first three-pointer.
- Maurice Harkless played just 8 minutes before leaving with a left knee injury. Also, Jusuf Nurkic did not play in the fourth quarter.
- Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t score in the last 6 minutes of the game after recording 34 in his first 35 minutes.
- Damian Lillard finished with 35 points despite starting 0-9 from the field.
- Portland is just 0.5 games back on Minnesota in the West.
Next: Blazers need to stay consistent to make playofss
Even with the rough start, the Blazers pull out a hugely important win over the T-Wolves.
Strong play up-and-down the lineup proves Lillard’s point on the importance of a deep bench. When he and McCollum couldn’t convert early on, guys like Ed Davis and Shabazz Napier stepped up to keep the game within reach.