BLAZERS GRADED: Portland 103, Orlando 92

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Saturday, January 10, 2015

Andrew R Tonry, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Closer than the final score suggests, this one was scrappy.

The Blazers came out Saturday and put on a dominant show of dunks and three's--for a quarter-and-a-half.

Then they went cold. And Orlando came alive.

Mostly, for the Magic, it was Nikola Vucevic, who abused the Blazers on the glass an in the paint. The stout third-year center had a career-high 34 points to go along with 12 rebounds, half of which came on the offensive end.

Vucevic also kept Blazers center Chris Kaman in foul trouble and almost wholly off the court during the first half. Kaman picked up four personals in just seven minutes before finally finding some flow late in the third quarter.

After Portland took a lead of as many as 19 in the second quarter, the Magic closed the half on a 12-2 run. In the third, Orlando picked up where they left off, erasing the Blazer lead and even taking a few of their own.

In the end, though, the Blazers' talent, experience and home court advantage outclassed the Magic. 

Wesley Matthews sealed it with a few steals and buckets in the final minutes.

The Blazers host the Lakers Sunday, at 6:30PM--their last of a seven-game home stand (they're 5-1).

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NICOLAS BATUM: B-
Cue broken record: Batum plays a good floor game and can't buy a bucket. He goes 1-of-4 from downtown and 3-of-9 overall, while grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing four assists. When does Batum's inability to hit three's with consistancy just become the new normal?

LAMARCUS ALDRDIGE: C+
With Chris Kaman in foul trouble and Meyers Leonard bumbling, Aldridge was asked to take on a bigger role Saturday and he only half delivered. He had just six rebounds to go with 25 points, and a couple of fumbles in the fourth quarter, including a back-to-back sequence of offensive turnovers--a charge and a travel.

CHRIS KAMAN: D+
Foul trouble kept Kaman out of most of the first half and limited him in the second. At one point, he'd racked up four fouls in seven minutes--not the kind of play the Blazers need while thin at center (though he did get a lather going during a stretch in the third). Once again, it shows: Kaman is better suited to the second unit.

WESLEY MATTHEWS: A
Matthews blew the game open in the final minutes. He had a pair of steals down the stretch, an and-one, and a dagger three. He finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four steals.

DAMIAN LILLARD: C-
Lillard struggled, Saturday. But with Matthews providing the game-busting buckets, the Blazers were fine without him. Lillard finished with 13 points and four assists while going 3-of-10 from the floor.

MEYERS LEONARD: B-
Leonard got a fair amount of minutes (19) filling in for Chris Kaman. He wasn't all bad. He made a few shots (11 points, some came in junk time) and grabbed a few boards (six). But he was also abused down low by Vucevic. But all anyone will remember is when he gawked at a loose ball, thinking that grabbing it would be an over-and-back violation while the Magic swooped it up for an easy fast-break score. Doh.

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