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It didn’t come easy, but the depleted Portland Trail Blazers managed to hold on and not lose to one of the worst teams in the league, staving off the Detroit Pistons 107-104 at the Moda Center.
A 23-2 Blazer run in the first quarter made it look like the night was heading towards a blowout, but the Pistons answered back with a 19-3 run of its own in the second quarter to close the gap and erase any delusions of relaxation.
CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony combined for 73 points, led by McCollum’s 41-point near-triple-double, but otherwise didn’t get a lot of help. Hassan Whiteside double-doubled yet again with 16 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. Anthony’s 32 points are a season-high for him and McCollum’s 12 assists a career-high.
Backup needed. The Pistons’ second unit absolutely demolished the Blazers, outscoring its counterpart 70-10. They even more than doubled-up Detroit’s starters (34).
Lottery bound. Over the last month, the Pistons have gone through quite a makeover. Reggie Jackson and Markieff Morris were both waived and even the face of the franchise, Andre Drummond was shipped off to Cleveland. Detroit is clearly ready to throw in the towel and get to the ping pong balls. But even in full-on tank mode, Portland was given all it could handle.
NBA Y2K. This evening was the fourth of team’s 50th Anniversary “Decade Nights” - this time honoring teams of the 2000s and featuring the likes of Damon Stoudamire, Travis Outlaw and Mike Barrett. For those at home, it amounted to about a Stoudamire interview segment during the broadcast and some painfully nostalgic alt-rock commercial segues.
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The Blazers get a day off before hosting the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.