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The Blazers featured an amazing night from their red hot and rolling backcourt. Damian Lillard hit all 6 of his three-pointers to finish with 24 points and 7 assists. Wesley Matthews qualified as the "less hot" starting guard, only hitting 5 of his 6 three-pointers for 25 points. LaMarcus Aldridge had a comparatively-quiet 10 points and 15 rebounds, while Robin Lopez finished with 14 points and Nicolas Batum added 8 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Mo Williams quietly took care of business, with 15 points and 10 assists.
Allen Crabbe finished the night with a three-pointer, giving the team 21 overall for the night.
First Quarter: The Blazers punched in the three-point line cheat codes to open the game. Here were the three-point field goals made in succession: Wesley. Wesley. Nic. Damian. Nic. Damian. Mo. Did I mention there were no misses? By the time Portland finally missed a three-pointer, they led by 20. Charlotte never knew what hit them.
Portland 39, Charlotte 21.
On pace to score 156.
by stevens
Second Quarter: Charlotte tried to make a run, but the Blazer bench held them back. In a classic moment, Mo Williams stole the ball, and on a 3-on-1 break, set up Meyers with a perfect alley-oop. The crowd exploded and Charlotte called timeout. Portland responded with two more Lillard three-pointers for a 24 point lead, and 55 points in 17 minutes.
Portland 70, Charlotte 49
MEYERS LEONARD!!! My first GDT comment since signing up for an account a season ago
by kpay10 (Welcome!)
Third Quarter: Charlotte made a run and turned up the defensive intensity. In response, the Blazers, wait for it, bombed them into submission from downtown. Charlotte made another run. The Blazers responded with a Lopez dunk, a Lillard dunk, and a Damian torpedo from deep downtown. Charlotte sighed and took another timeout, down 25. They came out inspired, scoring 8 straight points to pull within 17, but Portland scored 7 in response. They ended the quarter with a transition jumper for Aldridge, to reach the century mark at the buzzer.
Portland 100, Charlotte 77
We should probably start reporting our scores in scientific notation.
by Cablinasian (Portland 1 x 102, Charlotte 7.7 x 101)
Fourth Quarter: The Blazers quickly pushed the lead to 32, and suddenly Earl Watson, Will Barton and Allen Crabbe checked in. Seemingly wanting to be part of the in-crowd, Barton immediately swished a three. From there, it was a little sloppy, to be generous. In a "highlight", the Blazers all got out on the break... but forgot to pick up the basketball, giving Charlotte a layup. But they buckled down with a couple nice plays down the stretch, with the happy Blazer starters celebrating on the bench. It was an easy, relaxing win after a rough stretch of games.
What's Next:
A day of rest at home for the Blazers, who are back in action Saturday night against Philadelphia, who is in the midst fo a big road trip. Stay tuned tonight, as Dave and Ben will have lots of coverage of this game. -- Tim
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