Trail Blazers: Melo revenge game propels Portland to victory

The Portland Trail Blazers toughed out an impressive win away against the Houston Rockets, defending well as a team and slowing James Harden.

Finally! A win which feels somewhat impressive, against a serious .500 team! And the Portland Trail Blazers deserved every bit of it, too.

The Blazers ousted the Houston Rockets 117-107 at the Toyota Center, behind 25 points from Damian Lillard. In what has been a frustrating year for Portland so far, this feels like their best win so far, and could provide them with some much-needed momentum.

Along with Lillard’s 25, CJ McCollum poured in 24 of his own, whilst Carmelo Anthony had himself a nice little revenge game, going 7-10 from the field for 18 points and 12 rebounds vs his former club.

But the Blazer defense is what stood out the most this evening. Portland held James Harden to just 15 points; the former MVP was constantly doubled at mid-court, and was completely contained, having to rely on Houston’s role players to hit shots (they did not).

Here are three things I picked up on in tonight’s win.

New style of play is a winning formula

The Blazers seemed different tonight. They were motivated on the defensive end, energized, relentless. They won the loose ball battles, they crashed the boards, their rotations were sharp and organized. They finally looked like a team that was together on the defensive end, one that is capable of getting stops when needed.

This scrappy style of play is how Portland sneak into this years playoffs, given that that’s what they seem fixed on doing. With their current injury list, and lack of wing options, this is how they must play if they want to climb the conference ladder.

The Blazers out-rebounded the Rockets by 8, and held them to a measly 39 percent from the field. These are impressive numbers for a team which has struggled so much on the defensive end this year, and to do it against an offensive powerhouse like Houston makes it all the more impressive.

This play style is sustainable, and needs to be the focus point moving forward. The ball was even moving a lot more than usual; ball movement and defensive grittiness is the only way Portland string enough wins together to make the postseason, and hopefully this win sparks a change in play.

Melo revenge game

This one must have felt good for Carmelo Anthony. The Rockets effectively ended Melo’s career, or so it seemed until the Blazers picked him up, and for Melo to play this well against Houston, well, it was really, really good to watch.

Anthony did most of his damage in the first half, as he tallied 13 points and 7 rebounds through two quarters. The Rockets simply didn’t have an answer for Melo on the block, the Blazers worked the pick and roll well and got him mismatches, and Melo did the rest.

He looked his brilliant old self in the post, putting old-school moves on each Rocket defender that tried to stop him. Hey, maybe I’m exaggerating slightly, but this game feels like the biggest victory in Melo’s comeback, and one that should have us handing out the ‘Melo Apology Form’.

18 points, 12 rebounds, and a clutch three late in the game, I’d say that one felt good for Melo. I know it felt good for RipCity, and probably for most NBA fans, too.

Anthony Tolliver – fan favorite?!

This one has certainly come full circle. Anthony Tolliver‘s arrival didn’t fill Blazer fans with a huge amount of excitement, but they expected a certain amount of production, considering his previous averages.

Tolliver has largely disappointed this season, as he’s shot way below his usual three-point percentage, and has been poor on the defensive end as well. But in the last week, the mood on Tolliver seems to have taken a surprising turn.

From what I’m seeing, reading and hearing, Portland fans are absolutely loving Tolliver right now. His 16-point 4th quarter vs Charlotte obviously turned a few heads, but he seems to be settling into that lovable veteran role on this squad, I for one am not complaining.

The interesting thing is, this isn’t just fan appreciation. Tolliver playing well means the Blazers can roll out an intriguing small-ball lineup late in games, with AT operating in the center position. He’s defended the 5 spot adequately in recent games, and him stepping out onto the perimeter on offense is causing problems for defenses.

Tonight, Tolliver was quieter, but still hit a momentum-switching three with 10 minutes to play, and played more crunch time minutes at center. This gives the Blazers even more options on offense, and is slightly stretching the opposing defense away from Portland’s backcourt.

A great win for the Trail Blazers tonight, who now ride a two-game win streak. They play next on Friday night, against the Dallas Mavericks.