Thursday, March 19, 2009

Pacers Recap

Last night’s win versus the Pacers was a very encouraging one. For the second game in a row, the Blazers came out of the gate hot and got up early, then never looked back. This is a big deal, because our bug a boo in the past has been slow starts on the road. It also marked our first win in Indianapolis since 2003.


Bad news of this win was we lost Aldridge to a minor concussion, and Nicolas Batum to a rolled ankle. Both players are listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Cavs. Hoepfully they will both be good to go by Saturday’s game versus the Bucks.


Individual Performances:


Brandon Roy - Roy held it down with 20 points, 6 boards, and 6 dimes. He took a back seat because everyone was hitting. Roy plays NBA games like I would against a bunch of 6th graders. Just messing around and getting everyone involved, until it looks like we are going to lose, then I just cross up all those little punks. Game….Blouses.


LaMarcus Aldridge – LA had a rough shooting night and ended with 12 points on 5-14 shooting. It was too bad to see him go down with a concussion and he will likely be out for our game against Cleveland. That hurts.


Joel Przybilla – Przy continued his strong play with 10 points, 11 boards, and 2 swats in 33 minutes. While he still played a ton with Greg back, it was nice not to lose that huge defensive presence in the middle when Joel left the game.


Steve Blake – Blake was hot early, and ended with 14 points and 8 assists on 6-10 shooting. He did what we needed him to do and hit open shots and not turn the ball over. When he is hitting, he makes this team so much better.


Nicolas Batum – After a career high in scoring the game before, Batum was back to his regular, 5 points and 4 boards in 18 minutes. It will be tough to have our best parameter defender down against LeBron, but even more troublesome if he is out for an extended period of time.


Travis Outlaw – Outlaw didn’t shoot great, but ended with 15 points anyways. Big boost off the bench.


Greg Oden – Oden played good for his first game back. He had 4 points, 7 boards, and a block in only 12 minutes. Hopefully he keeps up his strong play off the bench, that would be a huge bonus for the Blazers.


Jerryd Bayless – Bayless was again a non-factor in his 17 minutes on the floor. He had a steal, and a board with 1 turnover. I hope he seizes this opportunity soon, because if not, Nate could yo-yo him right back to the bench.


Rudy Fernandez – Rudy playedgood, and finally found his shot. He was 5-13 from the field, but hit a couple 3’s and ended with 13 points. He is a very important piece of our bench.

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