WEEK FIVE: Nov. 25 - Nov. 31It was a great week for the Trail Blazers, who hit the road to take on some Eastern Conference teams. They went 3-1, a narrow defeat in Brooklyn being the only loss as they improve to .500. The highlight perhaps of the season so far was the 29 point rout of the Celtics in Boston. The Blazers close the first full month of the season with a respectable 8-8 record.
Nets Hold On Despite Big Games From Aldridge, Lillard11/25/12 - Blazers 80 @ Nets 82
The Nets started the game off very strong with a dominant first quarter. That was the status quo until the fourth when the Blazers played lockdown D and made a run. However, Deron Williams hit a couple key shots and Brooklyn held on.
POR 24 15 14 23 | 80 [5-8] - Lillard: 19/3/8; Aldridge: 20/10, 10-15 FG
BKN 32 20 16 14 | 82 [8-5] - D. Williams: 15/3/10, 6-18 FG; Humphries: 12/8/1
Blazers Execute Late, Defeat Pistons11/26/12 - Blazers 83 @ Pistons 79
Led by Nicolas Batum's 22 points, the Blazers hung with the Pistons in a grind-it-out affair on the second game of Portland's 6 game Eastern Conference road trip. It ultimately came down to a closely contested fourth quarter that saw the Blazers prevail.
POR 20 19 23 21 | 83 [6-8] - Batum: 22/6/2; Lillard: 18/2/5
DET 20 22 20 17 | 79 [7-8] - Monroe: 17/8/3; Knight: 16/4/4
Batum, Blazers Dominate Wizards11/28/12 - Blazers 114 @ Wizards 98
"I wish we could play the Wizards every night" - J.J. Hickson, who shook off ongoing trade rumors to have a season high 21 points on 9-16 shooting in the Blazers' blowout win in Washington. John Wall was the sole diamond in the rough for the Wizards, who were completely dominated by the Blazers.
POR 32 22 29 31 | 114 [7-8] - Batum: 31/8/2 stls, 11-18 FG; Aldridge: 16/14/2
WAS 31 18 29 20 | 98 [5-8] - Wall: 19/0/12. 7-10 FG; Nene: 15/9/4
Celtics Humiliated On Their Home FloorBlazers 102 @ Celtics 71
November 30, 2012 - The Celtics season has gotten off to a disappointing start, and with this game, it may be time to panic. After putting up a fight in the first quarter, the Celtics completely shat the bed the rest of the way, scoring just 8 points in the third quarter and offering porous defense.
Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge had huge games as the fans trickled out of the building early in the fourth. With the win, Portland improves to 8-8 on the season, with an impressive 5-4 record on the road.
The Blazers now sit in ninth place in the Western Conference, but just a half game out of a tie for sixth. Boston meanwhile falls to 11th in the East, but also just a half game out of the playoff picture.
POR 27 35 22 18 | 102 [8-8] - Matthews: 25/7/1, 8-10 FG; Aldridge: 24/2/2 blks, 11-15 FG
BOS 26 20 8 17 | 71 [7-9] - Pierce: 19/1/3 TO's 8-14 FG; Bradley: 13/4/3
Monthly recap up next with full standings, player averages, and probably some other stuff.
You're in.
Jeremy Lin: 14 pts, 16 asts, 8 rebs, 5-8 FG
The Blazers have signed Forward James Posey to 1 yr, minimum deal. The 35 year old small forward won championships in 2006 and 2008 with the Heat and Celtics respectively, and is known for his perimeter defense and three point shooting. He is expected to back-up Nicolas Batum at the small forward position. "I'm excited. I had a few offers, but only Portland promised that I would actually get to play", said Posey in his introductory press conference. The move is bad news for bench warmer Luke Babbitt.
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