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Blazers vs. Hornets Final Score: 102-100; Portland Rallies From 23 Down, Stuns Charlotte

Portland rallied from 23 down to fight off the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday night at Moda Center.

Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Even when the Charlotte Hornets led 50-27, the Blazers knew all they had to do was start hitting their shots.  When they did, they orchestrated an amazing comeback.

Damian Lillard had 29, LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Steve Blake had 5, none more important than a three-pointer in the fourth quarter that gave Portland a lead they would not lose.

The Blazers came out of the locker room ice cold, with only Lillard (4-of-5 shooting) hitting their shots reliably.  The poor shooting combined with five turnovers and a hot Lance Stephenson (4-of-5 shooting) and Kemba Walker (3-of-4) gave the Hornets a 35-21 lead after one.

Quarter number two started much the same way, with the Blazers staying cold from beyond the three-point line and the Hornets able to score at will, this time through Al Jefferson and Brian Roberts.  Charlotte led by as many as 23, but a fast break dunk by Wesley Matthews reversed the momentum in Portland's favor.  Matthews, Lillard and Aldridge started draining shots, and the Blazers cut the lead to 64-51 at halftime.

Portland kept the momentum going in the third with Lillard staying hot.  He had eight in the period on 3-of-5 shooting.  On defense, the Blazers held every Hornet not named Al Jefferson in check, closing the lead to 10.

The Blazers finally broke through in the fourth quarter, with a combination of strong defense against Walker and Jefferson and some timely shooting by Aldridge, Kaman, and especially Lillard.  Finally, with three minutes to play, Blake was tipped a rebound off a Lillard miss and hit a three-pointer from near the top of the circle, giving Portland a 97-96 lead.  Charlotte had one last chance down 102-100, but a driving layup by Gary Neal was released after the buzzer.

Chris Kaman had 12 points.  Allen Crabbe had 2, starting for the injured Nicolas Batum.

Box Score

Gameday Thread Comments of the Night

WELP. That had me extremely stressed out.
by Blazin' in Sydney

A win is a win. We won't remember this one come playoff time.
by Blazerfan72

Yay, great comeback. Nice to get the win in the end. Now, might want to devote a wee bit more practice time to end-of-game situations.
by Roy Wonder

Post-Game Reaction

VIDEO: Damian Lillard slips the bounce pass to Robin Lopez for a nifty layup.

VIDEO: Damian Lillard throws the lead pass to Wesley Matthews for the one-handed dunk.

VIDEO: Joel Freeland grabs the offensive rebound off a Damian Lillard miss and finishes the play with a two-handed dunk.