It Was a Bad Day to Be a Blazer

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Andrew R Tonry, GoLocalPDX Contributor

It was a bad day to be a Blazer.

About an hour before tip-off, the team announced that LaMarcus Aldridge would need surgery on his injured thumb. He is expected miss the next 6-to-8 weeks.

Then, early in the third quarter of a ugly, back-and-forth game, Nicolas Batum went for a block and re-aggravated a nagging wrist injury. He tore the tape off and went straight to the locker room. Moments later the news came: Batum had sprained his wrist and would not return. (After the game Batum, wearing a brace, said he fell on the wrist earlier in the game, and was unsure if the injury would force him to sit out. An MRI is forthcoming.)

And though, thanks a barrage of Wesley Matthews three's, the Blazers recaptured the lead, the wheels fell off in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

Portland were up 89-87 with :26.6 seconds to play. The Celtics got Jared Sullinger a clean look from the top of the arc. He missed, but Boston corralled the rebound and called timeout.

After inbounding, Sullinger got the ball again, and began backing down on the right side. Wesley Matthews poked the ball away and Sullinger fell on it. Before the Blazers were able to tie him up, he found Evan Turner in the corner for a wide-open three. He knocked it down.

After a timeout, the Blazers got the ball back with :1.0 second left on the clock. Lillard got the ball, but did not manage to get a shot off before time expired.

And so, a night after a heartbreaking loss to the Suns, and just hours after learning they would be without LaMarcus Aldridge until mid-March, the Blazers fell to one of the worst teams in the league, 90-89.

The loss added insult to injury.

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THOMAS ROBINSON: B
Instead of Dorell Wright, who got the start for Aldridge on Wednesday, Robinson was given the honor Thursday, and for the most part he performed admirably. Robinson got rebounds (12, six of which came on the offensive glass), played tough defense, hustled, and played offense within himself (he finished with nine points). Robinson did, however, miss a free throw down the stretch that could've made the difference. (To be fair, it was after grabbing an offensive rebound--otherwise, Robinson, the Blazers' poorest free throw shooter, would not normally find himself on the line at crunch time.)

NICOLAS BATUM: N/A
As Batum left the game in the third quarter after re-aggravating an injured wrist, he won't be graded. But it must be noted: after a breakout offensive performance the night before, Batum returned to the doldrums, missing all six of his attempts, Thursday.

CHRIS KAMAN: C
Kaman had a great first half then went missing. At the intermission he had scored 12 points and grabbed four boards, and was shooting a high percentage. The rest of the way he would not make another field goal, and added only a free throw. Thursday, despite the good start, he deferred at times, passing when shooting was clearly the thing to do. Though the sample-size is small, a trend seems to be developing with Kaman as a starter: he's energized to start games then fades.

DAMIAN LILLARD: C
Lillard's shooting slump continues, as Thursday he made only 8-of-23 attempts from the field. He made up for it with seven assists and six rebounds, but with Aldridge out, the Blazers need Lillard to up his scoring. He did, however, have another poster dunk:

WESLEY MATTHEWS: C
Matthews had a superb stint in the third quarter, where he made four three's, energizing the Blazers and their crowd. Outside of the third, however, Matthews struggled, making just two other shots the entire game. He finished with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field.