The Blazers, minus Oden, Roy, Camby, and now Andre Miller, dug out of a 16 point deficit to defeat the Pacers by 5 tonight. Miller, who played the first 2 minutes, left the game due to the Stomach Flu. In his absence, Rudy Fernandez took over PG duties, finishing with 11 points (3-5 from three), 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minutes to help seal the win.
The Blazers were led in points by LaMarcus Aldridge, in what is now a "ho-hum" game for him: 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. Nicolas Batum ended with 23 points and 6 rebounds, including 4 three-pointers in the fourth quarter to finally put the Blazers ahead. Wesley Matthews scored 19, plus 9 assists in a nice offensive performance.
Next up for the Blazers? A night off, a chance for Andre to recover (I've seen the current stomach flu up close, and I'm amazed he stepped onto the court), and a rematch against the Sacramento Kings in the Rose Garden Monday.
Lastly, I wanted to send some good vibes in the direction of Blazersedge's own fearless leader, Dave, who explained the circumstances behind his recent absence in the gameday post tonight. Hang in there, hopefully you were able to see the Blazers scrap and do some stuff tonight.
Box score is here. Hang out here and discuss the nice win, then stay tuned for Ben, who will have all of tonight's coverage later. -- Tim