PORTLAND — Wesley was knocking down shot after shot. Wallace came up with big play after big play.
The key names for the Blazers Saturday started with a “W.” The game, meanwhile, ended in one.
Portland beat Philadelphia 110-101 behind 28 points from Wesley Matthews and 25 from Gerald Wallace.
Matthew finished 9 of 15 from the field, 6 of 9 from 3-point distance, and made all five of his 3’s in the first quarter en route to 17 points.
Wallace, meanwhile, was 8 of 12 from the field and tallied a season-high eight assists to go along with six rebounds.
Best game since he was traded to the Blazers?
“I think so. It’s my best-all around game,” Wallace said. “Guys knocking down shots, rebounding, getting assists. It was a pretty good game for me, and the team.”
In practice Friday, Portland coach Nate McMillan lightheartedly admonished his players for sporting the imaginary 3 Goggles instead of getting back on defense. But that didn’t deter anybody from rocking them Saturday.
Matthews was about as hot as he’s been all year; his five 3-pointers in the first quarter matching his efforts January 7 in Minnesota. The franchise record for first-quarter 3’s is six, set by Cliff Robinson in 1997.
Matthews is having his hottest stretch of the season from the outside. The second-year guard has at least three 3-pointers in each of his past five games, becoming the first Blazer to do that since Damon Stoudamire in 2005. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 16 straight games, and is shooting 61 percent from deep (25-41) in his past eight games.
But none of that stopped McMillan from benching him for the start of the second quarter Saturday. He justified it, however, by saying that Matthews was “winded” and needed the rest.
Matthews’ response?
“I don’t ever want to come out… but it worked out.”
It worked, in large part, due to the play of Wallace.
Taking full advantage of his athleticism, the 28-year-old was going around, through, and sometimes right over Philadelphia’s defense.
His signature play came in the third quarter off a Portland offensive rebound, when LaMarcus Aldridge fed him on a cut and watched Wallace skywalk to the rim and throw down a dunk that ignited everyone in the Rose Garden.
Well, almost everyone.
“Wow. Portland… that team played as well as any team has played against us in a long time,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said. “The addition of Gerald Wallace… he’s playing like he did when he was an All-Star at Charlotte.”
Wallace and Matthews dominated the stat sheet Saturday, but McMillan credits Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum for establishing the defensive tone by extending the pressure and forcing Sixers guards Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams to work to get up the floor.
Philadelphia (36-34) was playing without Andre Iguodala, but still kept it competitive. In fact, with 9:31 to play in the game, the Sixers crept within three points on a 10-foot jump shot by Elton Brand.
Portland (40-29) pulled away, though, putting together a 14-3 run and going up by 14 with 4:29 left in the game.
The Blazers were almost without a player as well — Andre Miller attending to family issues and landing just an hour or so before the game.
He made it just on time — everything at the airport going according to schedule. And while he started, he didn’t think he would.
Was he nervous he wouldn’t make it?
“A little,” he said.
Lou Williams led Philadelphia with 24 points as a reserve. The Sixers’ bench outscored Portland’s 59-14.
Aldridge added 18 points on 8 of 13 shooting for the Blazers, who moved to within a half a game of Denver for fifth place in the Western Conference. Today, they head to Los Angeles to play the Lakers, who have dominated Portland this year — winning by 25 in November and by five in overtime last month.
That, however, did not stop the Rose Garden crowd from chanting “Beat L.A.!” at the end of Saturday’s game.
Matt Calkins can be contacted at 360-735-4528 or matt.calkins@columbian.com
