LaMarcus Aldridge Powers Blazers to 3rd Straight Win

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Andrew R Tonry, GoLocalPDX Contributor

BLAZERS 120, NUGGETS 114

LaMarcus Aldridge picked up right where he left off.

A night after carrying the Blazers in Phoenix, Aldridge's 32 points and 10 rebounds toppled Denver, 120-114, Saturday at Moda Center.

The win is Portland's third straight, and their most complete of the bunch. The Blazers shot 57% from the field, 45%% from three and bested the woeful Nuggets on the boards, points in the paint and assists.

The victory sealed the season sweep for Portland.

Playing against his former team, Arron Afflalo came out smoking. By halftime, he had piled up 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Those seven made field goals by intermission were Afflalo's best as a Blazer in any game this season.

In the second half, however, Afflalo cooled. He finished with 21 points--also his best as a Blazer--but was responsible for some embarrassing turnovers.

Will Barton, a former Blazer who was sent to Denver in the Afflalo trade, had his own flourishes in returning to Portland, particularly this clowning of Dorrell Wright on an out-of-bounds play.

Barton finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

But in victory, Afflalo got the last laugh. He also had a highlight play, a buzzer-beating three that capped the first half.

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A	LaMarcus Aldridge Aldridge was a monster, and there was no Nugget who could get in his way. Aldridge made 13-of-20 from the field, grabbed 11 rebounds, and put the Blazers on his back for the second game in a row.
B	Nicolas Batum Batum didn't shoot much, but made the shots he took. Batum went 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from distance. He finished with 15 points, seven assists and two steals.
B	Robin Lopez Solid game for Lopez, who added 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
B+	Arron Afflalo Afflalo came out energized, putting it on his former team in the first half. He then basically vanished in the second half, taking just one more field goal the rest of the way. Nonetheless, it was Afflalo's best offensive performance. It also begs the question: does he need more motivation?
B	Damian Lillard It's a strange thing to grade Lillard, of whom we've come to expect more scoring, when he instead facilitates. Lillard had more assists (10) then points (8) Saturday. I guess, when it comes in a win, how upset can you be?
A-	Chris Kaman Kaman took Denver's inexperienced big men to school. In his first stint he piled up 10 points and six rebounds in seven minutes. In all, Kaman finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. The only thing he gets dinged for are the three turnovers.