Blazers Essentially Concede Before Tip-off in Brooklyn

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Andrew R Tonry, GoLocalPDX Contributor

NETS 106, BLAZERS 96

In essence, the Blazers conceded Monday's contest in Brooklyn before they ever left Portland.

Rather than make the cross-country trip for one game (a make-up for January 26th's blizzard cancellation), LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Chris Kaman stayed home.

In their stead, Meyers Leonard and C.J. McCollum got the starting nod. Leonard flourished, scoring a career-high 17 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter.

During that time, Portland made a run. A deficit that reached as many as 22 was cut to six in the final period.

But even with a marvelous performance from Damian Lillard and Leonard's contribution late, the Blazers simply didn't have the offensive firepower to compete with Brooklyn, who are in the midst of a late-season playoff push.

While the decision to rest Aldridge, Batum and Kaman could boost health and lift production over the five remaining games, the loss could come back to haunt the Blazers in the ultra-tight Western Conference playoff seeding.

But we won't likely know whether the gamble pays off until the last games have been played.

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A	Meyers Leonard Without a doubt Monday's was Leonard's best game as a Blazer. His 37 minutes, 17 points and 12 rebounds were all career-highs. Of course, he had a couple of bad fouls, but when everything else is working, they're so much easier to overlook. His confidence ought to be soaring.
B	CJ McCollum Batum came out hot, Monday. He scored eight points in the first quarter and finished with 16 while making 4-of-6 from downtown. He also added five rebounds and five assists. Indeed, there's just something about the Suns that have brought the best out of Batum all season.
C-	Robin Lopez In the battle of the Lopez brothers, Brook was wholly dominant. Despite knowing his tendencies, Robin couldn't slow Brook, who scored 32 points and grabbed nine boards. Robin, meanwhile, managed just eight and seven. Each brother, though, had the pleasure of blocking the other.
C	Arron Afflalo I've said it before, but it's no less frustrating: when the Blazers are shorthanded it sure be nice to see the veteran Arron Afflalo carry more of the load. Instead he finished with 10 points and five boards.
A	Damian Lillard The Nets had a game plan: smother Damian Lillard and make someone else beat them. Despite defenders rushing at him all night, Lillard couldn't be contained. He scored a game-high 36 points, made 6-of-11 from downtown and 14-of-26 overall.