BLAZERS GRADED: Portland114, New Orleans 88

Email to a friend Permalink

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Andrew R Tonry, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Conventional wisdom didn't see this one coming.

A day earlier, in one of the most emotional and entertaining wins of the year, the Blazers went three overtimes against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and won. They then boarded a plane for New Orleans.

Rather than starting slow, or sluggish, Saturday, the Blazers were the aggressors. They grabbed offensive rebounds and played tight, high-pressure defense. 

They were not tired.

And before the Pelicans could blink they were in a hole. On the back of LaMarcus Aldridge, who swished his first four shots, the Blazers led 32-17 at the end of the first quarter.

It only got worse for New Orleans from there. Portland led by as many as 33 points before clearing the bench in the final quarter. 

Simply put, the Blazers were firing on all cylinders. It was, perhaps, their most crisp and complete game of the season, buttressed, presumably, because they prevailed the night before after facing almost impossible odds. Confidence is indeed running high.

Taking into account that the Blazers have won the first two games of a difficult road swing while playing without Robin Lopez, the trip can already be considered a success.

---

NICOLAS BATUM: A
Nursing a sore right wrist and left kneed, Batum did not play Friday in San Antonio. But he returned Saturday not because he was ready, but because he felt it necessary to support his teammates who had gone the distance the night before.

LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE: A
Without Robin Lopez, Aldridge has been on a tear. He got the Blazers going early, piled up 27 points and 12 boards, and abused the up and coming Anthony Davis all night long.

JOEL FREELAND: A
Freeland's statistics don't do his game justice. He played tenacious defense, especially early, disrupting Davis in particular.

WESLEY MATTHEWS: A
A couple of Matthews three's helped the Blazers blow the lead open. And while nine points don't look like a whole lot, Matthews played just 22 minutes.

DAMIAN LILLARD: A
A night after he was an inspiring, fire-breathing hero, Lillard was the calm facilitator, Saturday. He finished with 17 points, seven assists and three boards.

CHRIS KAMAN: A
The Pelicans' front line couldn't handle Kaman, Saturday. He scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and added six boards.

THOMAS ROBINSON: A
Robinson energized the Blazers early with a couple of highlight alley-oops, particularly this one, where he caught the ball on high with one hand and brought the hammer down:

 

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink