BLAZERS GRADED: Portland 103, Utah 102
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
After last week's abysmal road trip, Tuesday's matchup with Utah seemingly afforded the Blazers every comfort they could've asked for: home cooking, an overmatched opponent, and the return of Robin Lopez.
And while the Blazers did indeed get back to their winning ways, it wasn't via easy street.
Time and again the Jazz whittled down Blazer leads grew as large as 11.
It came down to the final seconds.
After making three-pointers on consecutive possessions, the Jazz trailed by a signle point. Utah fouled Damian Lillard with :0.4 seconds left on the clock. The Blazers were ahead, 103-102.
Lillard stepped to the line and... missed the first free throw.
He looked to his coach and teammates, telling them, "I'm going to miss this next free throw."
He did, and as the ball caromed off the rim, touching the hands of would-be rebounders as time expired.
For the first time in the last four games the Blazers emerged victorious. And while it didn't come in impressive or even confident fashion, there were positive developments--none more than return of Lopez, who not only provided a feisty interior presence that the Blazers have lacked, but restored the team's regular rotation.
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LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE: B
Aldridge came out hitting, netting 14 points in the first quarter. Then the Jazz put the 7'2" Rudy Gobert--AKA the Stifle Tower--on him and Aldridge cooled considerably. Gobert even blocked one of Aldridge's fadeaway jumpers, a sight rarely seen, and a feat duplicated only by Anthony Davis. Aldridge finished with 22 points and 11 boards.
NICOLAS BATUM: C+
Making just 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-2 from distance, Batum was the only Blazer starter who shot below 50%. He made up for it a bit with eight points, six assists, and a few slick pick and rolls with Robin Lopez.
ROBIN LOPEZ: A-
An admirable return for Lopez, who missed the last six weeks with a broken hand. Lopez got the start, energized the crowd, and was productive throughout his 25 minutes. He had 11 points, six boards, and a number of plays that don't show up in the box score like setting good picks and battling and boxing out under the basket. He looked to have find wind after the extended layoff, and might've played even more minutes had he not been forced to the locker room twice to stop bleeding from a cut near his eye thanks to a Gobert elbow underneath.
Not on the bench right now. RT @blazermb: Rolo took a elbow to the eye in that last sequence. Bleeding. pic.twitter.com/VXG2r016g7
— Erik Gundersen (@blazerbanter) February 4, 2015
DAMIAN LILLARD: B
Oddly up and down game for Lillard, though surely there were more ups than downs. He's struggled shooting in recent weeks, but Tuesday he made 10-of-17 from the field. At the same time, all of those makes were two's--Lillard was 0-of-6 from distance. On the other hand, Lillard had stretches where he piled up buckets, exhibiting more "Lillard Time" hot-streaks than usual. Then again, given the chance to ice the game with free throws, he missed one (thus forcing him to intentionally miss the second). Now, with all that said, he unequivocally had the highlight of the game, driving and dunking over Gobert. (See above)
WESLEY MATTHEWS: A-
Matthews didn't take a lot of shots, Tuesday, but he made the ones he did take count, scoring 21 points on 10 field goal attempts.
STEVE BLAKE: B+
With Lopez back and the rotation restored to it's basic ideal, Steve Blake and Chris Kaman checked in together towards the end of the first quarter. It was a combo that seemed to bring out the best in both veteran bench players. Blake seemed to return to form, Tuesday. He finished with seven points, five rebounds and two assists and was generally on the attack.
CHRIS KAMAN: D
Kaman, however, wasn't so effective. One could chalk that up, perhaps, to Utah's big front line. But Kaman's reticence to shoot deserves mention. He missed all three attempts while passing up others. He finished with no points and five boards in 21 minutes.
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