In a game where everyone and their moms decided they wanted to test their reach, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 123-111 at Moda Center.
Carmelo Anthony led the Blazers with 29 points from the bench, while Damian Lillard and Robert Covington made doubles. Lillard had 23 points and 10 assists; Covington had 21 points and 10 rebounds, as well as two steals and two blocks. Lamelo Ball led the Hornets in the score with 30 points in the night.
If you want a quarter-to-quarter summary of the action, see Ryan Rosback’s instant recap here.
Hot shot propulsion blazers
Dude, what a fun offensive game from Portland. Whenever you reach 24 trios, you’re doing well. [ed. You can say that again. It was an all-time franchise record.] Whenever you do this with 26 assists, it will get even better. It was an incredible display of Portland pitches tonight, and it completely made up for Charlotte’s stellar offensive night (15 hits out of three in 44% of pitches is very good!).
The good attack is the most important factor in the NBA at the moment. If your team can dominate from the three-point arc, they are never out of play. Portland, in particular, are a team that needs nights like this to make up for an inferior defense. It’s a cliché and tired saying, but the team that gives the most kicks really has the best chances of winning.
Blitzing Dame
That was something that we saw a lot in this one, especially at the beginning. The Hornets’ only focus defensively seemed to be “to make anyone but Dame beat you”. This is not particularly surprising. League teams have been doing this for many seasons. Although I admit that I was worried at first, when the Blazers were behind the first because of this strategy, I was satisfied with how well they adjusted.
Tonight the support cast went off when called. Explosive defenses have killed Portland for years in the playoffs; only CJ McCollum can hit shots consistently. They will not play Charlotte in the playoffs, but it was encouraging to know that the Blazers are able to hit when called.
ROCK !!!
Let’s talk about Robert Covington for a second because … wow. He’s a 35% sniper from the depths of his career, but when a guy fights like this year, it seems surreal to see him hit 5 of 7 three in a game. He was extremely efficient offensively and was stellar in defense once again with a couple of blocks, two steals. and 10 rebounds. It was the perfect Covington game.
It has been difficult to watch RoCo fight his shot all season, especially considering his offensive role has always been “I will do all three if you pass it to me.” It is very important that he scores three and I am happy to see Covington playing well in attack.
Nassir Small Minutes
Few things this season have made me happier than seeing Nassir Little playing basketball. He plays with a lot of energy and looks like he’s having fun at least 99% of the time. Watching him have 20 minutes of action tonight was perfect. He played well.
Little ran the ground and rolled hard into the basket when necessary. He finished burying with authority. He looked quite comfortable shooting in three movements. I think there is an argument that he should have more minutes than Rodney Hood, although that is difficult considering Hood’s ball handling ability (Hood was also +15 tonight if you care about that kind of thing).
The Duality of Melo
Look, I don’t want to be a total depresser when it comes to Carmelo Anthony because tonight was fun. His fourth time was absolutely absurd. He hit four trios and at least two of them were like “No, no, no … YES!” variety. I even smiled from ear to ear when he exchanged T-shirts with LaMelo Ball later. It was a very fun end to the game for Melo.
However, while the ending was fun, it was also a perfect game to show Anthony’s duality. In the even quarters, you would be forgiven for thinking that you were watching a retro game of the Knicks. In the odd neighborhoods, it was a black hole that completely interrupted the movement of the ball and killed the belongings trying to draw a foul or just shooting hard. There is a give and take with Melo, and I think there has to be a better balance for that. Just because he posted doesn’t mean he needs to shoot. It is difficult to stop this, but the answer seems to be less post-ups. But in the end, it was fun to see Melo finish the game with an insane shooting display.
[ed. 5 steals and 2 blocks to go along with his 29 points eased most of the sting. Both Melos played defense tonight! Yay!]
Finishing the skid
The most important thing for Portland on any given night is victory. This victory puts an end to a four-game skid and puts them back on track to end the first half of the schedule with strength. They have the Warriors and Kings to follow, two teams that are definitely defeatable. Can they end the week on a high note and then push with a healthy CJ in the second half? It’s possible.
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Points box
On Wednesday night, the Blazers will face the Golden State Warriors at Moda Center. The tip is set at 19:00 (Pacific time).