| 02 March 2011
The Houston Rockets duo of point guard Kyle Lowry and power forward Luis Scola picked the Portland Trail Blazers apart, fueling an offense that rarely missed to a blowout victory at the Rose Garden.
Lowry, Scola have fun, toy with Portland
From the onset, the two Rockets dominated the Blazers. Lowry found teammates, drove past his defenders with ease for continuous layups, and nailed a few three-pointers. He had eight points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals in Houston’s 30-point first quarter. While he was running circles around Portland, Scola waited for Lowry’s passes picked his spots, and did a considerable amount of damage in the post and on the perimeter by scoring 10 points on 5-5 shooting in the opening quarter.
They never let up, as there wasn’t much resistance from the Blazers. Lowry had 21 points and 11 assists, controlling the game throughout while silencing every Portland run by making plays for himself and others. Scola added 21 points as well, shooting a blistering 10-11 from the field. Both contributed to Houston’s impressive 52 points in the paint.Blazers defense lacking, and Nate McMillan chews them out
It wasn’t just Lowry and Scola, as three other Rockets scored in double figures. Overall, Houston shot 58 percent, hovering around the 60 percent threshold for most of the game. They made 66 percent of their two-point field goals, spacing the floor brilliantly against a seemingly effortless Portland defense.
“I don’t recognize that team,” he said postgame. “We didn’t guard anybody...Execution wasn’t sharp. It was almost lifeless out there...We may have to look at a lineup change. What we saw tonight, we’re not even close.”
Gerald Wallace, Nicolas Batum carry scoring load
If McMillan is considering making a lineup change, moving Gerald Wallace into the staring lineup may be worth considering. He was very energetic during his 31 minutes, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He dove for loose balls, hit three-pointers from the wing, drove baseline for baskets, and was aggressive on the defensive end.
Yet, he thinks the Blazers two-game losing streak is due to his arrival. “I feel bad for putting these guys in a bad position,” he said. “This is a bad feeling.”
Batum is deserving of keeping his starting job, as he was also consistently effective. The Frenchman scored 22 points on an economical 7-12 shooting. Like Wallace, he hit three three-pointers. But, also like Wallace and the rest of the Blazers, he’s not thrilled about their recent play. “We have no life on the court,” he said.
LaMarcus Aldridge can’t get into groove as Blazers offense suffers
Aldridge was consistently doubled in the post, and as was the case against Atlanta he could not get going offensively due to the opponent’s approach. He managed to score only 14 points in 40 minutes, taking just 11 shots. He had an underwhelming three rebounds as well, and, overall, was a non-factor.
Speaking to his importance, the Blazers fell to 7-17 when Aldridge scores less than 20 points.
Blazers’ Wesley Matthews and Brandon Roy struggle as Kevin Martin, Chase Budinger thrive for Rockets
Portland shot 43 percent, largely due to the inabilities of Matthews and Roy to make shots. The two combined to shoot 4-17, while their counterparts, Martin and Budinger contributed 35 points on 13-24 shooting.
Houston, which entered on a four-game winning streak, was hot, while Portland, off a frustrating loss to Atlanta, had difficulty stopping the freight rain as they try to develop chemistry with their new addition.
Sacramento’s right around the corner
Portland doesn’t have much time to ponder what happened against Houston, as they play Sacramento in the second game of a back-to-back. There’s not much to be happy about, but the Blazers are confident they will get back on track.
“We’ll get this figured out,” Wallace said. “Hopefully it starts tomorrow night.”
photo: espn
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