Heck of a game as the Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns 90-89 and improve to 6-2 in a scrappy and ugly game. It was a game that had you tearing your hair out at missed opportunities and possibly wondering how a Phoenix Suns team can play defense this well. This was probably the most exciting game of the season for a number of reasons. One, straight entertainment value, all of the Blazer games thus far have been won by a couple of possessions or lost way before the final buzzer. This was the first game where it did actually come down to the last possession and had everyone at the Moda Center and at home on the edge of their seats. Two, the emergence of Thomas Robinson, oh my goodness did we need him tonight. At a point in the game where it seemed like the game was slowly getting away and the Blazers were running out of gas, Thomas Robinson provided his best night as a Blazer and a huge spark off the bench to bring the crowd back into it. Phoenix was up by as many as 8 with 7:39 remaining in the fourth quarter and in this game it felt like 15 when Wesley Matthews hit a 24-foot three pointer to start the run. Then Thomas Robinson went to work. He had a couple of very impressive dunks over players and a few very clutch offensive rebounds that brought the Blazers back within striking distance. What I thought was very interesting was the Suns were using the hack-a-Robinson strategy as he only hit 3-of-9 free throws the whole game. I have never seen that strategy used against the Blazers as they have always been a really solid free-throw shooting team. What does that say? Well, for one Thomas Robinson was having such an impact that Phoenix head coach Jeff Hornacek basically was trying to force Robinson out of the game. Furthermore, it also means that Thomas needs to work on his free-throw shooting, which made me cringe every time he went to the line.
The play of the game was Lillard’s lay-up to put the Blazers up by 1 with 6.8 seconds left in the fourth. What the hell happened with Phoenix’s defense? On a night where Phoenix was guarding Lillard so well and were shutting down all lanes of opportunity for him, on the last Blazer possession of the game it was like the sea parted. The biggest hole in the lane opened up and allowed Lillard to get probably the easiest bucket of the game funnily enough. Again, what happened? Miscommunication no doubt, but I would think that a mental lapse of that magnitude would not happen, especially to the team veteran, Channing Frye. Then onto the defense in the last 6.8 seconds for the Blazers, what a sequence! The Phoenix Suns had three chances to put the game away, but on the last attempt the ball seemed to just gently fall off the rim and into the hands of LaMarcus Aldridge. If I were a Phoenix fan, I would be crying.
This just felt like a game that you really wanted the Blazers to win. Thomas Robinson was obviously feeling confident tonight and you wanted him to feel like he contributed and helped out in a victory given his NBA career up to this point. I’ll say it again; I think this kid was a steal from the Rockets. If he can put on some weight and muscle and continue to learn the NBA game, then man this kid is going to be good. You saw flashes of his athleticism tonight as he flew over three Phoenix players under the rim waiting for the rebound for an electric dunk. You saw his muscle as he was able to grab an offensive rebound in a sea of purple Phoenix players and dunk the ball. Both teams were taking away the strengths of the other pretty well as the Blazers shot just 15 three-pointers in the game. The Suns were able to get 20 fast break points, but overall this game was just sluggish and it felt like a boxing match. You could definitely tell the players were into it. Whenever someone would hit a big shot, emotion would envelop them and it just felt like this game had a personal edge to it. Obviously, the Phoenix Suns ran over the Blazers on opening night and the Blazers wanted revenge, while the Suns, who were also 5-2 before this game, wanted to prove that they were not tanking and that they were going to compete all season long. Overall, it was a hell of a game and one that could REALLY have gone either way at the end.
This game really only three players shined in the stat sheet, in my opinion. Thomas Robinson finished the night with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and 8 rebounds (4 offensive) in 17 minutes of play. I talked about his impact up above, but a very effective night from Robinson and in a game that I think was absolutely perfect for him where there were elbows flying and people getting stepped on and overall just a rough, rough game. I think it was also great that he got some time to play with LaMarcus Aldridge, which we haven’t seen a lot of if any. Curious to see if Blazer head coach Terry Stotts gives him some extra time as this season progresses.
Robin Lopez, again, notched another double-double and is continuing to get comfortable and affect the game in a big way. He finished with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting and 15 rebounds (5 offensive). He had some very nice put backs and gave the Blazers a lot of second chance opportunities. I have noticed he is getting more comfortable offensively and you are starting to see him take the ball himself and not pass off, which I think was an issue in certain possessions in the first couple of games into the season.
LaMarcus Aldridge had an off-shooting night shooting just 5-for-19 and ended with 12 points and 12 rebounds notching his third double-double in a row. What a relief knowing that the Blazers can now win a game where Aldridge is not shooting well. Obviously, you would love to see him swish a few more, but he still was able to draw defenders to him, which funnily enough probably won the game for the Blazers in the final offensive possession for Portland.
Just a fun game to watch tonight and I really give the Phoenix Suns a lot of credit right now. They are playing spectacular basketball and blowing a lot of predictions out of the water. I am really interested to see how they are playing come the all-star break, but for right now they are a threat. Hornacek has that team playing defense and I do not think Phoenix fans will have to wait long before their team is going to contend.
On the Blazers side, a four-game winning streak does not hurt, especially going into the first big road-trip of the season as the Blazer embark on a four-game trip to Boston, Toronto, Brooklyn, and Milwaukee. Some tough games in that stretch, but very winnable. Next game is on Friday, November 15th as the Blazers take on the Boston Celtics at 4:30 PM PST. The Celtics looked horrid last week, but now have a record of 4-5 and seem to be getting some chemistry flowing and should be a very good game. Stay tuned!