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01-11-2012, 11:47 AM
http://portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=132626716048480600
http://portlandtribune.com/news_graphics/132629344544228100.jpg
Center Marcus Camby gets the Trail Blazers off to a strong start with an early dunk.
Raymond Felton was right in the middle of just about everything in the closing minute of the Trail Blazers’ 105-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night at the Rose Garden.
Portland’s point guard committed a couple of costly turnovers and missed a pair of free throws, but also produced a pair of steals and made four foul shots over the final 46.1 seconds as the Blazers (7-2) closed out the win.
“I made good plays and bad plays, and I also hit free throws down the stretch,” Felton said after the Blazers moved to 6-0 at home this season. “It happens. I’m not perfect. Try to be, but I’m not.”
Nor were his teammates on a night when they seized control early but were never able to shake the Clippers (4-3).
Portland jumped in front 15-7 and held 11-point leads in the second and third quarters, but had to hold on as the Clippers closed the gap to 100-97 on Chauncey Billups’ three-point play with 25.9 seconds to go.
After Wesley Matthews drained a pair of free throws with 22 seconds remaining, the Clippers got the ball to Blake Griffin. The All-Star forward backed Marcus Camby to the hoop, but as he went up for the shot, Felton reached over and picked the ball from him – though Camby, who ended up with the ball, was credited with the steal.
Felton was then fouled and made the first free throw with 14.2 seconds left. He missed the second attempt but stole a Griffin outlet pass and was fouled. His two gift shots with 11.8 seconds on the clock provided the game’s final points.
“We hit free throws and got stops when we needed to,” said Felton, who scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a critical 3-pointer for an 89-80 lead with 5:54 to play. “It’s a win.”
With Portland clinging to a 99-92 lead, Felton turned the ball over twice in a span of 16.2 seconds – not what coach Nate McMillan had in mind.
“I had a couple of silly turnovers,” said Felton, who had eight assists and three turnovers in his 38 minutes. “I thought I got fouled on one of them, but sometimes you don’t get that call. That happens.”
The Blazers avenged a 93-88 loss to the Clippers Jan. 1 at Staples Center.
“It was a tough game between two pretty good teams,” said Gerald Wallace, who led Portland with 20 points to go with four rebounds and four assists. “We were more mentally ready (than in the first encounter). We felt we let the game in L.A. get away, so we wanted to jump on them from the start, to take them out of their comfort zone on offense.”
Integral to the outcome was the performance of Clipper All-Stars Griffin and Chris Paul.
Griffin got his numbers – 18 points, 12 rebounds – but was 2 for 8 and managed only four points and four boards in the first half.
Paul was totally stymied early, drawing three fouls that limited him to 12 minutes in the first half. He went scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting through intermission. The frustrated point guard finished with 11 points and three assists in 31 minutes.
“We were aggressive against those guys,” McMillan said. “The first game, they pretty much dictated the tempo and got what they wanted. This time, we were more aggressive. We were trapping the post-ups. We didn’t let Griffin play in the paint. For the most part, a solid game on defense.”
McMillan wanted Felton to attack Paul when the Blazers were on offense.
“I told him he needed to go at him, and we were able to pick up some fouls,” the Portland coach said. “Paul does a good job of defending, (but) he reaches for the ball. A couple of times early the officials caught him, which really changed the tempo for them when he went out of the game.”
“I just tried to keep him in front of me, stay with him when he goes off those screen-and-rolls,” Felton said. “Ninety-five percent of the time, he is going off those screen-and-rolls, and that’s tough. But I did what I had to do.”
LaMarcus Aldridge picked up two early fouls and Camby spent much of the game defending Griffin.
“I tried to make it tough on him and make him shoot over length,” said the 38-year-old Blazer center, who recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a season-high 35 minutes. “I had to go over and bother him some, try to get in his head a little bit.”
The Clippers, coach Vinny Del Negro said, “could never quite get over the hump. We would cut (the Blazers’ lead) back, and then we would miss a couple of free throws or we’d turn it over, and they’d get an easy one or a tip-in.”
Added Griffin: “When they needed them, they hit shots. We had a couple of key turnovers, but you have to give it to them – they hit shots.”
Portland made its first five tries from the field and finished at .514 – second-best accuracy of the season. All five starters scored in double figures, including Aldridge and Matthews with 18 apiece.
“We have a lot of guys who can score,” said Wallace, who was 8 for 12 from the field. “Our main thing is executing our offensive plays. It all starts with LaMarcus. Tonight he got two quick fouls, so guys had to step up and maintain the offensive load until he could get back into the flow.”
Aldridge missed his first five shots and didn’t score until a tip-in with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half. He never really got going, making 8 of 20 shots to go with seven rebounds in 33 minutes.
McMillan didn’t like the way the Clippers were allowed to hang around until the end.
“We’re still looking to put together a 48-minute game,” he said. “We played 36, maybe 40 tonight. We got a little careless down the stretch.”
NOTES – Portland plays Orlando at home Wednesday night before beginning a six-game, nine-day road trip. ... The Blazers’ 7-2 start is their best since going 8-1 in 1999-2000. ... The Blazers have won 10 of the last 12 against the Clippers. ... The Clippers trailed only 54-47 at the half despite getting a collective four points from Griffin and Paul. ... Blazer small forwards Wallace and Nicolas Batum combined for 21 points in the half, Batum getting his nine points in 12 minutes off the bench. ... Caron Butler led the Clippers with 20 points while Billups added 19.
http://portlandtribune.com/news_graphics/132629344544228100.jpg
Center Marcus Camby gets the Trail Blazers off to a strong start with an early dunk.
Raymond Felton was right in the middle of just about everything in the closing minute of the Trail Blazers’ 105-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night at the Rose Garden.
Portland’s point guard committed a couple of costly turnovers and missed a pair of free throws, but also produced a pair of steals and made four foul shots over the final 46.1 seconds as the Blazers (7-2) closed out the win.
“I made good plays and bad plays, and I also hit free throws down the stretch,” Felton said after the Blazers moved to 6-0 at home this season. “It happens. I’m not perfect. Try to be, but I’m not.”
Nor were his teammates on a night when they seized control early but were never able to shake the Clippers (4-3).
Portland jumped in front 15-7 and held 11-point leads in the second and third quarters, but had to hold on as the Clippers closed the gap to 100-97 on Chauncey Billups’ three-point play with 25.9 seconds to go.
After Wesley Matthews drained a pair of free throws with 22 seconds remaining, the Clippers got the ball to Blake Griffin. The All-Star forward backed Marcus Camby to the hoop, but as he went up for the shot, Felton reached over and picked the ball from him – though Camby, who ended up with the ball, was credited with the steal.
Felton was then fouled and made the first free throw with 14.2 seconds left. He missed the second attempt but stole a Griffin outlet pass and was fouled. His two gift shots with 11.8 seconds on the clock provided the game’s final points.
“We hit free throws and got stops when we needed to,” said Felton, who scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a critical 3-pointer for an 89-80 lead with 5:54 to play. “It’s a win.”
With Portland clinging to a 99-92 lead, Felton turned the ball over twice in a span of 16.2 seconds – not what coach Nate McMillan had in mind.
“I had a couple of silly turnovers,” said Felton, who had eight assists and three turnovers in his 38 minutes. “I thought I got fouled on one of them, but sometimes you don’t get that call. That happens.”
The Blazers avenged a 93-88 loss to the Clippers Jan. 1 at Staples Center.
“It was a tough game between two pretty good teams,” said Gerald Wallace, who led Portland with 20 points to go with four rebounds and four assists. “We were more mentally ready (than in the first encounter). We felt we let the game in L.A. get away, so we wanted to jump on them from the start, to take them out of their comfort zone on offense.”
Integral to the outcome was the performance of Clipper All-Stars Griffin and Chris Paul.
Griffin got his numbers – 18 points, 12 rebounds – but was 2 for 8 and managed only four points and four boards in the first half.
Paul was totally stymied early, drawing three fouls that limited him to 12 minutes in the first half. He went scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting through intermission. The frustrated point guard finished with 11 points and three assists in 31 minutes.
“We were aggressive against those guys,” McMillan said. “The first game, they pretty much dictated the tempo and got what they wanted. This time, we were more aggressive. We were trapping the post-ups. We didn’t let Griffin play in the paint. For the most part, a solid game on defense.”
McMillan wanted Felton to attack Paul when the Blazers were on offense.
“I told him he needed to go at him, and we were able to pick up some fouls,” the Portland coach said. “Paul does a good job of defending, (but) he reaches for the ball. A couple of times early the officials caught him, which really changed the tempo for them when he went out of the game.”
“I just tried to keep him in front of me, stay with him when he goes off those screen-and-rolls,” Felton said. “Ninety-five percent of the time, he is going off those screen-and-rolls, and that’s tough. But I did what I had to do.”
LaMarcus Aldridge picked up two early fouls and Camby spent much of the game defending Griffin.
“I tried to make it tough on him and make him shoot over length,” said the 38-year-old Blazer center, who recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a season-high 35 minutes. “I had to go over and bother him some, try to get in his head a little bit.”
The Clippers, coach Vinny Del Negro said, “could never quite get over the hump. We would cut (the Blazers’ lead) back, and then we would miss a couple of free throws or we’d turn it over, and they’d get an easy one or a tip-in.”
Added Griffin: “When they needed them, they hit shots. We had a couple of key turnovers, but you have to give it to them – they hit shots.”
Portland made its first five tries from the field and finished at .514 – second-best accuracy of the season. All five starters scored in double figures, including Aldridge and Matthews with 18 apiece.
“We have a lot of guys who can score,” said Wallace, who was 8 for 12 from the field. “Our main thing is executing our offensive plays. It all starts with LaMarcus. Tonight he got two quick fouls, so guys had to step up and maintain the offensive load until he could get back into the flow.”
Aldridge missed his first five shots and didn’t score until a tip-in with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half. He never really got going, making 8 of 20 shots to go with seven rebounds in 33 minutes.
McMillan didn’t like the way the Clippers were allowed to hang around until the end.
“We’re still looking to put together a 48-minute game,” he said. “We played 36, maybe 40 tonight. We got a little careless down the stretch.”
NOTES – Portland plays Orlando at home Wednesday night before beginning a six-game, nine-day road trip. ... The Blazers’ 7-2 start is their best since going 8-1 in 1999-2000. ... The Blazers have won 10 of the last 12 against the Clippers. ... The Clippers trailed only 54-47 at the half despite getting a collective four points from Griffin and Paul. ... Blazer small forwards Wallace and Nicolas Batum combined for 21 points in the half, Batum getting his nine points in 12 minutes off the bench. ... Caron Butler led the Clippers with 20 points while Billups added 19.