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Matthews helps lead Blazers to win

30 points plus solid defense from guard downs Jazz

By Matt Calkins
Published: December 31, 2010, 12:00am

PORTLAND — The Trail Blazers lost their All-Star shooting guard for an indefinite amount of time Thursday. Fortunately, the man who may be their best shooting guard played 39 minutes.

Portland’s lineup was without Brandon Roy for the seventh straight game, and given his tenuous knees, that streak may very well continue through the end of the season.

But it did feature Wesley Matthews, a “backup” who continues to obliterate the idea that he’s simply filling in for a superstar.

Playing against his former team, the second-year swingman dropped 30 points in the Blazers’ 100-89 win over the Jazz. He hit nine of his 16 field goal attemps, drilled four 3-pointers and spent most of his time on defense guarding star point guard Deron Williams, who scored just one second-half point.

Chants of “Wes-ley Matth-ews” boomed throughout the Rose Garden toward game’s end, and they were well-deserved. His efforts, after all, helped Portland down Utah (22-11) for the second time in four nights, and extend its home winning streak to seven games.

“Tonight, we’re missing Brandon, and any time you’re missing guys, it’s an opportunity for someone else,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “I thought tonight (Matthews) was aggressive. He played within the flow of the game — he didn’t force anything and he knocked down some big shots for us. And the other thing — he’s playing on both ends of the floor. This guy has been doing that all season long.”

But Matthews, whose point total tied his career high, was not the sole dominant Blazer.

LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 27 points on 10 of 18 shooting, Andre Miller tallied 16 points and 10 assists, and Marcus Camby corralled 20 rebounds, his most since joining the Blazers last season.

The Blazers’ victory, however, did not come against a Jazz team at full strength.

CJ Miles, who torched Portland (17-16) with five fourth-quarter 3-pointers in the team’s last meeting at the Rose Garden, was out with the flu. The 6-foot-11 Mehmet Okur, meanwhile, was sidelined by a back strain, as was starter Andrei Kirilenko.

Even so, Portland’s largest deficit of the game was only one point, trailing for the final time with 6:06 left in the second quarter.

McMillan cited ball movement as one of the primary reasons for his team’s success, as the Blazers totaled 21 assists. The starters contributed 84 of the points.

Matthews was asked after the game if going against Utah supplied extra motivation. It didn’t.

“I’m motivated to go against anybody,” Matthews said, adding that having played with Williams provided a defensive advantage. “Utah is an added bonus, but there’s no bad blood there. Everybody wants to play good against their former team.”

Matthews should be the starting shooting guard until Roy returns (assuming he does), but he said Brandon’s absence does not change his approach whatsoever.

Not that Roy isn’t missed.

As Camby said after the game: “It’s tough, he’s an integral part of what we do around here, but any time you can beat a great Utah team twice in a week, you have the ability to do it. Now it’s on us to make sure it’s consistent.”

There was also some speculation after the game that Matthews’ production essentially cancels Roy out, and that he’s not as missed as people might think. But Aldridge said it goes beyond the numbers.

“You miss Brandon because he commands two or three defenders,” he said. “It changes the team’s defense and opens up other things.”

The Blazers, who host Houston on Sunday, will take today off.

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