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deprived of injuries
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/in..._flyout_sports
LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds and shot 11 for 19 from the field against Indiana.
The Trail Blazers rely so heavily on three-point shooting, you wondered what would happen on a night they couldn’t make their usual barrage from behind the arc.
On a night when the Blazers made a season-low five three-pointers, they found other ways to scratch together points and beat Indiana 106-102 at the Moda Center.
Indiana came into the game with some eye-popping defensive numbers, holding opponents to a league-best 86.5 points and 39 percent field goal shooting. The Pacers are especially adept at defending the three-point shot.
They were effective against Portland, which was averaging 23.5 three-point attempts per game but got just 13. Deprived of one of their main weapons, the Blazers adjusted, going at the Pacers with All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, attacking the basket to draw free throws and getting a big lift from their bench.
“We knew they were going to take away the three ball, they’re an extremely good defensive team,” Blazers guard Wesley Matthews said. “They load to the ball well, and we were just attacking. We shot a lot of free throws. We still, without the three ball, we’re able to get 100 points.”
Indeed, the Blazers became just the third team all season to score 100 points against the Pacers.
Unable to set up good looks behind the arc, the Blazers fed Aldridge, who finished with 28 points and shot 11 for 19 from the field. Aldridge mixed up his shots against 6-foot-9 power forward David West and 7-2 center Roy Hibbert, who took turns defending him.
“I just tried to go to the basket a little bit more because they were crowding me more tonight,” Aldridge said. “It was one of those nights where I had to make reads where if the big fella, Hibbert, was on me, I was taking my jump shot, and if David West was on me, I was trying to go to the basket a little more. They’re good. I just had one of those nights.”
The Blazers also got themselves to the free throw line 33 times and tied their season high with 29 makes. Point guard Damian Lillard made all 10 of his foul shots – tying for the second most makes of his career -- including six in the fourth quarter.
“I knew going in that the bigs sag off, protect the paint, but we ended up getting into the penalty early a lot, so I just wanted to force it in there, get contact with the bigs and kind of force the issue at the rim, and I was able to get some calls,” said Lillard, who finished with 26 points.
The Blazers didn’t lead in the game until they took over in the fourth quarter, which they started tied 72-72. They started the final quarter with a unit that had Lillard playing with reserves Mo Williams, Dorell Wright, Joel Freeland and Thomas Robinson.
“We knew we had to come in and kind of be the deciding factor in the game,” Williams said. “We had to push the tempo, make plays, give our team a chance to win.”
The lineup gave Portland a significant boost, immediately giving the Blazers their first lead when Lillard made a three-pointer 51 seconds in the fourth quarter. The Blazers got energy and rebounding from Robinson, who finished with four points and five rebounds got a loud ovation when he exited the game.
Freeland provided his usual defense at the rim, Williams finished with 13 points, including six in the fourth quarter, and Wright chipped in two points, two rebounds and some harassing defense on Pacers star Paul George.
“The bench play at the beginning of the fourth … I thought it got the crowd into the game,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “I thought the crowd really showed their appreciation when each guy came out. In a physical, draining game like this, to give our starters an extra breather was really valuable.”
Added Aldridge: “The bench all year has been great, but tonight they were above and beyond. They held the lead, the got us into the bonus to start the fourth quarter with all the guys going to the basket, T-Rob, those guys, that was big for us.”
deprived of injuries
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LOL "Blazers counter with free throws"
seems like the only way they win these days
They got a ton of calls down the stretch, tbh..
Blazers can't make 3's and need help from the refs
- Portland has the most road wins in the league.
- Portland is 10-0 in back-to-backs games this year, meaning 10 of their 18 games have been back-to-back games.
- Portland won 5 road games in 8 days.
- Portland went 11-0 in 18 days with no more than one day's rest between games (7 of 11 were on the road).
- Portland has the third most wins against +.500 teams in the NBA
- Portland is 7-3 in the west. (70% winning percentage translates into 57.4 wins)
lol La gus
lol Tlong admitting they need refs help
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