The Portland Trailblazers took on the Charlotte Hornets Monday night in an attempt to get back into the win column. All-star guard Damian Lillard and the Blazers entered the matchup on a 4-game skid, leaving his team hungry for a win. Charlotte – led by rookie LaMelo Ball – faced the Blazers in the 2nd night of a back-to-back after winning an absolute thriller against the Sacramento Kings the night before.
Charlotte got off to a blazing hot start; Ball put up 8 points and 2 assists in the first 5 minutes alone. They would build their lead to 11 despite the Blazers playing well in the quarter. The Blazers’ resilience kept them close, allowing them to cut the lead in half by the end of the quarter. The team hit back-to-back threes to start the second quarter, and just like that, we had ourselves a tied ballgame. The quarter consisted of multiple ties and lead changes and led to things being tied up, 59-59, at the half.
While Blazer fans can typically always depend on Lillard to put up stellar numbers, it was 18-year veteran Carmelo Anthony who finished the game as the team’s leading scorer. After a slow start, Anthony caught fire in the second quarter and went on to drop a season-high 29 points on 10-19 shooting from the field. This included knocking down 6-10 from beyond the arc. His 6th and final three-pointer set a new franchise record for three-pointers made in a game by the Blazers at 24 makes from downtown.
“We shot the ball extremely well tonight – everybody,” Anthony said. “When we’re shooting the ball like that, we’re a tough team, and I can honestly say that that gave us a lot of confidence on the defensive end, too… It was a complete game for us tonight.”
Despite facing criticism about his defense throughout his career, the future Hall-of-Famer also snatched a season-high five steals.
The Blazers hit the ground running to start the second half, going on a 9-2 run to seize control of the game. Charlotte kept clawing at the Blazers’ lead, however. Ball poured in 30 points on 10-18 shooting and 5-7 from long distance in what would be his 5th consecutive game of scoring 20-plus points. He stuffed the stat sheet further with 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Terry Rozier added his 2 cents by dropping 20 points and 6 assists; Malik Monk also added 20 points. Yet, the Blazers’ firepower would prove to be too much for the young Charlotte squad. PJ Washington followed up a 42-point outing the night before with a three-point effort against the Blazers.
“I feel like it was tough down the stretch, I guess…,” Ball said when asked about what he took away from this road trip. “Pretty much all just got to lock in… worry about the next game and try to get a win for that one.”
Anthony’s play was only a fraction of what the Blazers relied on for production; they provided a balanced effort, with 6 players scoring in double figures. Lillard scored over 20 points as usual while dishing out 10 assists, but he lacked efficiency. Robert Covington would pick up much of the slack, scoring 21 points on 8-11 shooting and 5-7 from deep. Gary Trent, Jr., Enes Kanter, and Nassir Little also made key contributions with efficient shooting performances. As Anthony previously alluded to, the team buckled down defensively as well, coming up with a season-high 12 steals as a unit. This effort was much needed – maybe even the play of a team desperate for a win – and it paid off. The Blazers (19-14) walked away with a 123-111 win over Charlotte (16-18).
At the end of the game, Anthony and Ball paid their respects to one another by exchanging jerseys. “It just happened throughout the course of the game,” Anthony said when asked about the exchange. “I try to embrace the younger generation of guys… it was fun playing against him tonight. I’ve been watching him since he was in high school, and just to be across the court from him tonight- getting a chance to see his game up close in person… it was only right that we did that tonight.”
