Report Card
Grade: B-
Recap: The lowest of lows followed by the highest of highs.
Portland began the second half of the season with one All-Star (Brandon Roy) back in its lineup and two All-Stars (Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams) out of its division. Looked auspicious. Turned out it wouldn’t be.
Despite holding a 10-point lead over the Lakers in the fourth quarter Wednesday, the Blazers watched Kobe Bryant be, well, Kobe Bryant. The five-time champion scored 28 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and overtime — including the last four of regulation — to lead Los Angeles to the dramatic win.
Portland was able to move on pretty quickly. Part of that had to do with the team acquiring former All-Star forward Gerald Wallace from the Bobcats in exchange for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and two protected first-round draft picks. But mainly, Roy transformed into his retro self.
With his team down by three against Denver with just six seconds left, Roy launched a double-pumped 3-pointer that somehow found the basket, scoring his 16th, 17th and 18th point of the night while igniting the Rose Garden crowd. LaMarcus Aldridge followed Roy’s clutch play in overtime, nailing two free throws to give the Blazers a one-point lead they would ultimately cling on to.
Roy was initially placed on a 15-minute limit on the night, but started overtime despite already having played 19 minutes.
“I told him before the game that he wasn’t going to be able to follow that instruction,” said Aldridge.
In Focus
The Blazers won their first game with Gerald Wallace as a member of their team, even if he wasn’t yet cleared to play. The forward averaged 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds with the Bobcats before coming to Portland, and is just one year removed from his first All-Star Game.
In the 2005-2006 season, Wallace led the NBA in steals per game and is considered one of the NBA’s more athletic specimens. Not that he views himself that way.
“I’m just a small-town kid who loves to play basketball,” he said Friday.
By the Numbers
0 — LaMarcus Aldridge’s point total against the Lakers in the fourth quarter and overtime Wednesday. The power forward had 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting in the first three quarters, but was not able to find the bucket the rest of the game. He followed that up with a four-point fourth quarter in the Blazers’ win against Denver.
11 — The number of games the Blazers will play in March against teams that would make the playoffs if they started today. Only five games will be against non-playoff teams.
10 — The number of the games in March that the Blazers will have to play on the road.
