(USA TODAY Sports Images)
There was never any doubt.
Whatever Portland experienced and felt during the loss against Golden State was put onto the Orlando Magic in a rout that featured a season-high field gold percentage and number of assists.
The Trail Blazers take care of business at home against the Magic beating them 121-84 on Saturday night. The Blazers improve to 35-32, while the Magic fall to 28-37.
From the jump, Portland had the major advantage with Orlando starters Elfrid Payton and Nikola Vucevic not being able to go due to injuries. With that being said, in the NBA, teams should never take their oppositions lightly.
With a brutal four-game road trip ahead, the Blazers had to get a much-needed win before heading into the gauntlet. They certainly played like it… eventually.
But, in the first quarter, it did not seem the Blazers wanted it. The Magic jumped out to an 11-2 lead and the Blazers took a quick timeout. What occurred after set the tone for the rest of the tilt. The Blazers went on a speedy 9-2 run where they grabbed the lead 14-13 on a C.J. McCollum jumper. While the Magic continued to hit shots, there was a different mindset and a different game plan in place.
No longer was Orlando making open three-pointers and no longer was Orlando able to stop Portland’s offense. This culminated in a dominant second quarter where Portland outscored the Magic 32-18 and shot a ridiculous 68 percent from the field. Allen Crabbe and Mason Plumlee provided eight points apiece, while Gerald Henderson and Meyers Leonard provided five points apiece.
Who was missing from that equation? Damian Lillard, who went scoreless in that second quarter, but dished out four assists. In the first half alone, Lillard attempted just two shots, but had nine assists with just two turnovers, recording a +20.
As is the norm, Lillard attempts to get his teammates open first before electing to get aggressive and score for himself. It worked like a charm as the bench was clicking on all cylinders from an offensive standpoint and Portland was able to utilize their size advantage as Plumlee was able to swerve into the lane and overpower Aaron Gordon and Dewayne Dedmon.
The Blazers even capitalized in their garbage time in the fourth quarter, scoring 31 points and taking as big as a 41-point lead, carrying the Blazers to an easy victory that was sorely needed.
Despite some excitement when it came to Ed Davis’ ejection from the game due to a flagrant two foul call, the Blazers kept it relatively uneventful. The bench was lethal combining to score 60 points, including 18 points from Crabbe who broke out of his slump, going 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from three.
Henderson provided 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 3-of-4 from three and Leonard dropped 13 points of his own on 5-of-9 shooting, 3-of-5 from three.
It was the continuation of Portland’s bench dominance. Four of six bench players that played for the Magic made just one shot on a combined 4-of-25 from the field. It was adjusting to the line-up and Portland executing. Ultimately, it came down to hot shooting and realizing that the lane was not as clogged as it could be as they scored 50 points in the paint.
Portland swished a monster 17 three-pointers and made 47 field goals on 34 assists. It was an efficient night for the Blazers against a team that Portland needs to take care of down the stretch.
Lillard recorded 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 2-of-6 from three with ten assists and four rebounds, while McCollum had 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 2-of-6 from three. It is no surprise that plenty of Blazers scored in double-figures, six to be exact as the ball was whipping around with confidence.
It was a clean slate kind of game and regaining of confidence for certain players. Portland will need every bit of help in as the season begins to turn towards the playoffs.
But, the road does not get any easier. The Blazers head to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Monday at 5:00 p.m. PST.
Stay tuned!