Trail Blazers: Post-game analysis from win at Chicago

The Portland Trail Blazers secured a much-needed win Monday night, snapping their four game losing streak with a 117-94 win in Chicago.

The Portland Trail Blazers finally won a game, and boy was it needed. The mood was dismal around Portland after the Cleveland loss, but I’d have been surprised if Damian Lillard let this one slip by.

However, Monday night turned into the Carmelo Anthony show, as the veteran looked like his younger self, tallying 25 points (team high) and eight rebounds for a season high. There were several other good performances around the box-score too, as the Blazers had six players in double figures.

Despite shooting just 29 percent from three, Portland’s offense looked smoother,  as the ball zipped around the perimeter for 23 team assists. The Blazers rebounding was much improved too, as they won the battle 55-37.

1st Quarter

Portland came out with an air of a team that really, really wanted a win, high energy was coming from the bench as well as the court.

Both teams came out firing in the first, with Carmelo Anthony kicking things off for the Blazers. Portland’s energy was epitomized by Melo’s emphatic start, who threw it back to his All-Star days, and looked like his old self.

The vet had 12 points and 4 boards in his first 10 minutes of action, and showed off the entire bag, hitting two from deep, and even muscling his way to a couple at the rim. Dame seemed content to let Melo cook, and whilst Lillard didn’t shoot well to start, he recorded five early assists.

Skal Labissiere had six points, four rebounds and a block in the first as well, but the Blazers will have been happiest with the team stats to start. The Bulls took a one point lead heading into the second quarter, but Portland will have been happy with the early lead in rebounding and assist categories, given their struggles in these areas this year.

2nd Quarter

Portland came out the stronger of the two teams in the second, and began on a 16-4 run. Defense to offense was the theme, as Whiteside led some impressive stops on one end, and let the guards work on the other. The Bulls went at Hassan in the paint, but came up empty-handed, Whiteside’s good defense led to a CJ lay-up, which gave the Blazers a 39-32 lead.

Whiteside continued his strong work, as his tough offensive board and finish gave Portland their biggest lead of the night, 50-37. The ball was moving quickly, and Melo in particular shone here, the forward constantly zipped the ball around the perimeter, and found the open man.

Zach LaVine had unsurprisingly led the Bulls in scoring, and led a comeback for a short span, but Portland regained control quickly. With 6.3 seconds remaining and the lead back down to four, CJ took over, hitting his defender with some silky handles, before stepping back and hitting high off the glass.

The Blazers weren’t done either, Dame cleverly drew an offensive charge from Wendell Carter Jr. Portland then took advantage, as Hood put the moves on at the buzzer, fading away for a deep two at the horn.

The Trail Blazers took a 62-54 lead into the half, shooting 48 percent from the field, and winning the rebound battle 30 to 20.

3rd Quarter

The Blazers came out with the bit between their teeth, and Whiteside continued his defensive dominance. The center had two blocks in two defensive possessions, and looked engaged. These blocks sandwiched a sweet-looking midrange from Lillard, which stretched the lead to nine.

With eight minutes to play in the third, the Blazers had five players in double figures, and this is something I think could become a regularity. When Lillard came round a high Whiteside screen, he had Hood, McCollum and Melo waiting for a pass. The five starters tonight had huge offensive upside, and if the defense is shored up, this team can definitely turn things around.

Third quarter Dame is almost as big of a deal as fourth quarter Dame today, and the All-Star seemed to get in the mood after half-time. His deep step-back three sealed a 23-13 run for the Blazers, and stretched the lead to 13 with 7:23 to play, which equaled their largest lead of the night.

Lillard wasn’t done there, and it was clear he’d decided to will his team to victory tonight. After turning the ball over, Dame took on a three-man fast break solo, and came up with the ball. He poked the ball free from LaVine, stripped Lauri Markkanen underneath the rim, to then bring the ball up the floor and record his 11th assist, setting up Whiteside for a 79-64 lead.

The lead was stretched to 22, as a McCollum block on one end led to a Melo and one on the other. The Blazers outscored Chicago 30-18 in the 3rd quarter, and it turned into the pivotal one.

4th Quarter

For a minute, the Bulls showed some life, but then the Melo show fully got underway. The forward turned back the clock with a quick baseline dunk, and backed this up his fourth three-pointer of the night, a shot which got Lillard hitting Melo’s signature celebration on the bench.

This shot also bumped Anthony up a spot in the all-time scoring list, moving past Alex English for 18th place.

A put-back dunk from Labissiere seemed to seal it for the Blazers, even with seven minutes to play Portland looked undeniable, leading 102-79.

The Chicago crowd, however, weren’t done with Melo; the former All-Star had checked out on 30 minutes played with 25 and 8, but ‘We Want Melo’ chants filled the United Center. In what has been a depressing season so far, this was certainly a cool moment for Portland to be associated with.

The last five minutes became an opportunity to add to the weekly highlight reel, as the Blazers second unit stepped in to give the starters a well-deserved rest. Skal Labissiere recorded his second block of the night, and this sparked a Hezonja-led fast break, who found Nassir Little for the alley-oop dunk.

The Portland Trail Blazers return home on Wednesday, as they face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder.