That was a little too close for comfort. Coming into this game, the Blazers needed this win to get back on track. After almost coming back in the game against Minnesota, but ultimately losing, the Blazers needed to answer back. They did, but maybe not in the fashion that they wanted to. The Portland Trail Blazers beat the New Orleans Pelicans (really, Pelicans?) 110-107 on Saturday night to improve their record to 23-5 and improve their home record to 11-2.
This game featured the same old story, especially on the defensive end. However, the Blazers were getting 2nd chance points and got to the foul line numerous times. Looking at how the game played out, attempting 18 foul shots is big. The Blazers, again, started off the game slow in what is becoming an uneasy pattern in these last 4 games. Luckily the deficit wasn’t 30, it was a more manageable 10. Still, that shouldn’t be the case every night. The Blazers should be able to come out early and get their buckets. Tonight was a night where the Blazers got their looks particularly LaMarcus Aldridge, but were unable to knock them down. It was a familiar sight for Blazer fans and with 5 days until the next game, you didn’t want this game to leave a sour taste in your mouth over Christmas.
The Pelicans came out strong as they jumped to a 18-7 lead with 6:39 remaining in the first. The Blazers were able to close the gap and finish the quarter only down by 5. The Blazers kept nipping at the heels as they came within 2 several times in the second quarter and even took the lead right before the quarter ended. This is amazing. The Blazers were down 11 with 2:51 remaining. This was when the defense actually shined. The Pelicans missed on four straight possessions and the Blazers were able to capitalize on it. The Blazers were only down 1 at halftime. Pretty impressive if think about it like that.
The Blazers, yet again, outscored the Pelicans 31-25 in the third in what is turning out to be a huge weapon for the Blazers. It was like the offense suddenly clicked. The Blazers went inside to Lopez and Matthews to start the quarter and it worked. The Blazers were able to get a 5 point lead pretty quickly and then took control for the rest of the quarter. However, the Pelicans were still hanging around, which gave you the feeling that this game, would be interesting before the final buzzer. The Blazers continued to look strong in the fourth. Having an answer for every bucket it seemed.
I want to give credit to Meyers Leonard tonight. Taking Thomas Robinson’s spot in the rotation tonight, he was solid. In 10 minutes of play he logged 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block. He looked lost on defense for a couple of possessions, but he has really embraced the hands-in-the-air and getting in front of players. He only had 2 fouls tonight Blazer fans. He also hit a very nice long range shot that showed off that you have to respect him from out there. What a weapon he could be if he could consistently play defense.
You have to have one heart attack in this game and that came late in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans actually led the game 105-103 with 2:18 remaining. Enter Damian Lillard. Freaky three of the game goes to this man as he drained a 29-foot three pointer to give the Blazers a 1 point lead with 1:27 left. Amazing thing about this is that Lillard was playing with 5 fouls for 3 minutes and considering how clutch he was playing, that would have been a huge blow if he ended up fouling out. Again, this kid has ice water in his veins. It seems whenever the game is on the line, all of his shots find the basket no matter how crazy they may seem. The Blazers were then able to play good defense on the last couple of New Orleans possessions, although, Blazers fans probably still had to take heart pills once the game was over.
Points in the paint is a stat I continue to look at and the Pelicans had 56 on the night. It is still quite impressive that teams score 50+ on us inside and the Blazers are still able to pull out W’s. That cannot last, but it is still a testament to how our offense is playing. The three-point shot was not there tonight as the Blazers just shot 28% from three. However, like I said above, the Blazers went 16-for-18 from the foul line. That was big in Portland getting back into the game after the initial assault by New Orleans and it ended up being huge in the long run. This team has had to learn pretty quick to not die by the three. The three point shot has not been exactly consistent, especially early in contests. So, the Blazers have had to find ways to score. I think this is good for them. This allows them to adapt to what is happening in any given game and it also makes it more difficult for teams to game plan for them. Every single person in the starting lineup went to the line at least once in this game. I like to see that.
Now, the defense didn’t seem to be any better tonight. Outside of the Pelicans missing four straight in the second quarter, the defense was allowing easy buckets to occur. Multiple times Lopez would help Batum on defense and Anthony Davis would come flying in with a dunk. Now, I will be the first one to say that Anthony Davis is a freak of nature, but after the third time this happens, it can be frustrating. Fortunately, this team somehow plays defense when it matters, however, that can only last so long. The defense still needs to step it up as much as it can. The Pelicans almost stole this game because of the lack of defense (just watch the fourth quarter). I give credit to the Pelicans, though, they were shooting really well and they had reason to. This road trip they have been on has been hell so you would expect them to be fired up and wanting to play. However, I would like to see defense like in the second quarter throughout the game.
Damian Lillard continues to be on fire of late as he finished the night with 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting, 4-for-10 from three, and 5 assists. The fourth quarter is magical when Damian Lillard is one the floor. This stretch of games has been deadly for him. His shooting percentage has gone up, which I like to see and expected. His ability to hit clutch shot after clutch shot is stunning. In this game, with going 4-for-10 from downtown, you would think the 29-foot three-pointer with the Pelicans up by 2 would not go in. Well, you would be mistaken. That was probably the smoothest three-pointer of the night. This season, for him, is showcasing his ability to hit clutch shots, which we saw flashes off last year (see the game-winner against New Orleans last season), his defense has picked up, and his shot selection seems to be getting better. Saying it right now, he should be an all-star this year.
LaMarcus Aldridge apparently pissed off the basket tonight. He ended the night with 18 points on 8-for-24 shooting and had 8 rebounds. Tonight was a hard one for LA. Each point was hard fought and it seemed like nothing was going in. He had a couple of nice defensive slaps that ended up being steals and he was able to just be a threat. You still have to respect him no matter how off his shot may be. I’ll chalk this up as an off-night, but it is still funny to see that an “off-night” for him is almost a double-double.
Outside of those two and the play of Meyers Leonard, this was just a well-fought win. Not as pretty as they wanted it, but it was a win nonetheless. They continue their streak of not losing consecutive games and I think that is the most telling stat about this team. Every time they lose, they come right back and take care of business. Now, they will another nice break of 5 days for Christmas before taking on the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time this season at the Moda Center on December 26th at 7:30 PM PST on TNT. Also, something to keep your eyes on, CJ McCollum has been able to practice 5-on-5 with no restrictions, but there is still no timetable for his return. Seems like his return is pretty soon and I am excited to see what he can do. Merry Christmas everybody!