WEEK TWENTY: March 10-16, 2013Record: 36-29 (3-1) | 4th in division, 7th in conference, 12th in Power Rankings (-1)Hornets End Blazers' Win Streak Behind Gordon's Big Game3/10/2012 - Blazers 105 @ Hornets 114
Portland fell behind huge in the first quarter and could never recover as Eric Gordon and the Hornets end the Blazers' win streak at 4 games. Anthony Davis also played well, in a head-to-head against fellow rookie of the year candidate Damian Lillard. Wesley Matthews had 20 points on as many shots in his return from injury.
POR 18 35 18 24 | 105 [33-29] - Aldridge: 18/13/3; Lillard: 18/5/9; Matthews: 20/0/0
NO 34 31 24 25 | 114 [25-39] - E. Gordon: 26/7/7; A. Davis: 17/10/0; G. Vasquez: 15/3/9
Blazers Take Over In Fourth To Defeat Grizzlies3/12/2012 - Grizzlies 85 @ Blazers 94
The Blazers are now just one win away from a sweep of the season series against the Grizzlies. The game was close throughout as Aldridge fought foul trouble, the Lillard kept them in it with his near triple-double and the Blazers were able to close out Memphis with a strong fourth quarter to improve to 34-29.
MEM 11 28 23 23 | 85 [20-42] - Gay: 15/8/4; Conley: 20/2/6; Randolph: 16/3/1
POR 19 20 21 34 | 94 [34-29] - Lillard: 22/8/8; Batum: 14/11/3; Matthews: 18/1/2
Behind Lillard's First Triple Double, Blazers Win In Double OT3/14/2013 - Knicks 125 @ Blazers 126 [2OT]
It took two overtimes, but Damian Lillard adds another accomplishment to his resume: a triple double. More importantly, the Blazers also got the win. The first half saw the Blazers struggle to contain the Stoudemire-less Knicks offense, falling behind 58-50 at the half.
The third period saw the Blazers lock down on defense and go to Aldridge more for some easy looks. The fourth quarter was a see-sawing affair with Carmelo Anthony sinking a game-tying jumper with .3 to go in regulation to force OT. New York scored the first six points of the first overtime, but the Blazers rallied back in the second one.
Damian Lillard grabbed his tenth rebound early in the second OT and despite Melo's best efforts, Portland found themselves up three with 25 seconds to go. Anthony was able to sink a pair of free throws off a missed three but with two seconds left, Lillard outran the Knicks defenders to get a huge 126-125 victory.
NYK 29 29 21 25 10 11 | 125 [35-28] - C. Anthony: 47/11/6 stls; Brand: 13/9/0; R. Brewer: 14/7/2
POR 26 24 27 27 10 12 | 126 [35-29] - Lillard: 25/10/11; Aldridge: 27/12/5; Batum: 16/9/4
Lillard Drops Franchise Record 68 Points In Second Straight Double-OT Win3/16/2013 - Pistons 150 @ Blazers 152 [2OT]
Damon Stoudamire's franchise record of 54 points in a game was shattered in a shocking display by rookie Damian Lillard, who dropped an incredible 68 points on the Pistons in a double overtime shoot-out. Let me repeat that. Damian Lillard scored 68 points.
Lillard was Mr. Everything from the start for Portland, scoring the team's first 19 points. Unfortunately, Detroit pushed the pace and the Blazers had no answer on defense. Both teams continued to run-and-gun and play well on offense, and the Pistons found themselves with a 67-60 halftime lead. Not to let this one slip away, Damian Lillard led a big third quarter run to take the lead going into the fourth quarter, entering the period with 39 points, one short of his previous career high.
The Pistons offense was un-stoppable in the fourth, and it took everything the Blazers had to keep up with them. Neither team could seem to get a stop, and a blocked Knight layup sent things into overtime. Despite Lillard hitting shot after shot, the Blazer defense was not there. Lillard had 63, but we were going into a second overtime. Lillard fell just short of 70, but Portland was able to take control and overcame a pair of late gaffes to pull out an epic 152-150 victory.
The Blazers win their second consecutive double overtime game at home, giving the fans yet another treat. They also improve to 36-29, good for 7th place and a virtual three-way tie for the 6-8 seeds. The Pistons meanwhile suffer a heartbreaking loss that would have nearly punched their playoff ticket had they won. "We score 127 *expletive* points in regulation and lose! What the *expletive*!", commented Lawrence Frank after the game. Lillard shatters the franchise records in points (68) and field goals made (22). He also posts the highest scoring game by a rookie in NBA history, beating Wilt Chamberlain's mark by 10. Truly a historic night for Lillard, the Blazers and the NBA.
DET 37 30 21 39 12 11 | 150 [34-34] - Stuckey: 27/7/9; Ilyasova: 21/11/3; Prince: 26/7/8
POR 32 28 32 35 12 13 | 152 [36-29] - Lillard: 68/8/4, 22-41 FG, 8-17 3pt, 16-17 FT; Batum: 21/13/5; Aldridge: 17/9/1
Playoff Picture:1 Oklahoma City 42-24
2 LA Lakers 41-26
3 Denver 40-27
4 San Antonio 37-30
5 LA Clippers 39-27
6 Minnesota 35-28
7 Portland 36-298 Golden State 37-30
Houston 32-34
Dallas 31-34
Phoenix 32-35
Utah 28-38