With their season hanging in the balance, the Portland Trail Blazers avoided being swept by the Spurs last night behind a 25-point performance by Damian Lillard. Swingman Nicolas Batum also had a stellar performance by nearly recording a triple-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists.
The Blazers defense kept Tony Parker well below his scoring average of 29 points or more a game in the playoffs. Coach Gregg Popovich sat Parker and Duncan in the fourth quarter once the Blazers pulled away with a 20-point advantage. The Blazers front court put on an impressive offensive display with LaMarcus Aldridge scoring 19 points and Robin Lopez grabbed six offensive boards (12 total rebounds), which explains Portland’s 62-44 advantage over Spurs in points in the paint.
Also key in this matchup was the performance by Will Barton of Portland. Barton added 17 points off the bench to give some relief to Lillard and Matthews who both combined for 35 points.
The Blazers are trying to make this a more compelling series. No team in the history of the NBA has ever lost a playoff series after going up 3-0.
Game 5 will be Wednesday night at San Antonio. This gives the Spurs the opportunity to close out the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive season.
Photo Credit: Stamford Advocate
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