Postgame Notes - January 7, 2018 Portland 111, San Antonio 110 Game #39 • Home Game #20 TEAM • Portland has won five of its last seven games, including three straight at Moda Center. • The Trail Blazers have won three of their last four games against the Spurs, with all four games being decided by four points or fewer. • The Trail Blazers outscored the Spurs in the paint, 64-42. • Portland went on a 23-11 run over the final 6:14 of the third quarter to tie the game at 80-80 going into the fourth quarter. • The Trail Blazers committed nine turnovers while forcing the Spurs into 14 turnovers. • Portland shot 52.2% (48-of-92) from the field, while San Antonio shot 49.4% (40-of-81) from the field. • Portland had seven steals and five blocks while the Spurs had four steals and five blocks.
PLAYER • CJ McCollum finished with 25 points (11-24 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 2-3 FT), seven rebounds and five assists . McCollum has scored 20-plus points in four of the last six games and 23 total games this season. • Shabazz Napier recorded 15 points (7-9 FG, 1-3 3-PT), five rebounds and a season-high seven assists. Napier scored 11 of his points (5-6 FG, 1-2 3-PT) in the third quarter. He has scored in double figures in eight of the last ten games. • Maurice Harkless had his second-highest scoring game of the season, finishing with 19 points (7-10 FG, 3-4 3-PT, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and two blocks. His three three-pointers matched his career high (11 times). • Jusuf Nurkic recorded his ninth double double of the season, finishing with 17 points (7-15 FG, 3-5 FT), 13 rebounds, one assist and one block. • Al-Farouq Aminu recorded nine points, one rebound, one assist and two steals. • Pat Connaughton had nine points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3-PT) and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench. • Zach Collins contributed nine points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3-PT) and three rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. His four field goals matched a career high (five times). • LaMarcus Aldridge recorded a double-double for the third time in his last four games, finishing with 30 points (12-21 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 5-7 FT) and 14 rebounds. It was his fifth game of 30-plus points this season.
HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS “Obviously a great win. It was good to play well here at home, win a close game at home. It’s good for the fans. A lot of good performances for us. CJ did a nice job of directing the team. ‘Bazz had a great stretch to get us back into the game. I was really happy for Moe and he was ready to play. It was just a good game. I like scoring 111, even though we rank fifth in defense, I like scoring 111.” On attacking the paint tonight: “More than that, I thought we did a nice job – CJ in particular and Shabazz – of finding ways to get shots off but also make passes. Last time we played them I think we were 13 for 33 in the paint or at the rim, so they’re a very good interior defensive team. LaMarcus and Gasol are a presence. They had 9 blocks last time against us, they really made a difference, but I thought our guards did a nice job adjusting when they did get in there.” On what Napier has given the team this season: “He’s been ready to play with Dame out. Certainly, he’s been very effective with Damian out. When Damian was in, he was part of the rotation. His scoring off of the bench has certainly helped us. I thought tonight defensively, he kind of was aggressive but not gambling, which was good as well.” On playing Harkless tonight after not playing last game: “Last game, Damian played minutes, so when Damian is playing and he plays his 36 minutes – just like Moe was playing when Dame was out for 5 games, Moe was in the rotation. When Dame plays his 36 minutes, those minutes have got to come from somewhere.” On last offensive play of the game for McCollum: “I wanted him to be aggressive. Giving him a head start in the backcourt, build up some speed – I think the idea is that if he’s got a head of steam, he’s not able to be trapped. They only had one big in, LaMarcus was the only big in, so he was able to get a shot. Obviously, he needs to either score or pass but we certainly weren’t working the clock. We wanted to get a shot one way or the other.”
MAURICE HARKLESS On going from not playing to a performance like this: “It’s a challenge, you know, but just play every day in practice, play one-on-one, two-on-twos, just to stay sharp. That’s the biggest thing, as long as you keep playing when you have a chance, then I think you should be fine.” What aspect is hardest about staying sharp? “Dealing with the frustration of not playing, not letting that get to you. It happens, like I said before, it’s a situation I’ve been in before and I think this time around I’m a little more equipped to be ready to play.” What do you use to get over the frustration? “Just play. Just go out there and play as much as I can, like I said, in practice, after practice, before practice, just try to get as many guys as I can that want to play and just play. Just staying mentally tough and knowing that it’s going to come back around.” Do you get down about it? “I don’t get down, I get frustrated – especially if we’re losing games and I feel like I could be out there helping the team, but I don’t really get down about it. It’s more of a frustration thing than sad or feeling sorry for myself.” On Napier: “He’s been great. Kind of a similar situation to what I’m going through now. At the beginning of this year and last year he wasn’t really playing and he was dealing with a lot of frustration. Like I tell myself, the same thing I’ve been telling him, it’s going to come back around and just be ready for the opportunity. I think he’s done a great job himself of staying ready and being tough. He’s a tough kid and it shows.” On this win: “Going out and getting another win at home – they came in here and beat us last time so that was big. We’re about to go on the road for a few games so leaving home with a win is always a better feeling going on the road than it would have been if we had lost tonight.” Does the frustration make the success feel better? “Absolutely. It feels better. Everyone is excited in the locker room and stuff like that, but for me, it’s something that I’ve just got to take the good with the bad. Whether I play or don’t play, I have to keep the same attitude and continue to stay ready.”
HEAD COACH GREGG POPOVICH On Damian Lillard not being in the lineup: “You do what you do. You don’t change your game.” On what he was looking for on the last play: “For LaMarcus (Aldridge) to shoot it.” On the game: “Both teams played hard and the game could’ve gone either way. You win and you lose.” On Kawhi Leonard’s shoulder injury and how long it will keep him out: “I don’t know. I don’t think it’ll be a while.” On Pau Gasol being out in the fourth quarter: “That’s what we decided to do.”
LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE Thoughts on the end of the game: “I thought we competed, tried to make plays, they made tough shots. I definitely have to be better, I think this one’s on me. I missed two free throws and then I rushed the last shot so I thought the team did a really good time of putting us in that position, working hard and then after knocking down my free throws I definitely have to take my time on that shot. I thought I rushed it so I think this one is definitely on me tonight.” On his final shot: “I just rushed it. I caught it and I’ll take that shot, I just rushed it. I didn’t want to put it on the floor too much because I didn’t know who was behind me but it’s basketball and every experience, you can learn from it. So next time I’m in that position I’ll take my time and I’ll look around but I definitely want to be better and this one is on me, I have to be better down the stretch if Kawhi [Leonard] is out again. I have to be able to produce down the stretch so I’m going to learn from it and I’m going to be better for sure.” On if losing ruins his “good game”: “Yeah the game doesn’t matter anymore. Playing well up until that point doesn’t matter. It’s about finishing it and getting the win. Like I said, I thought everyone competed to put us in that position and guys played well down the stretch and I have to be able to finish it and I’m going to learn from it. I’ll be better.” On how to take Kawhi Leonard’s injury: “Just take it in stride. Keep competing every night. It gives the opportunity for other get better and when he gets back and is at full strength, that’s going to make us even better down the stretch.”
MANU GINOBILI On the loss: “It is always disappointing, every time we lose it’s disappointing. Some games in which you lose by 10 or 15 you just go home and you think of the things that you could’ve done better. Today it was so close, we got a shot about defense or whatever and you start thinking about more plays, details, that made them get that win. So of course it’s disappointing because we were sitting a few guys because tomorrow we play again and now we are tired because it was an exhausting game so that’s what makes it even tougher to swallow that we almost had it and we let it go. Now tomorrow is another tough test with a few guys out.” On his three point shooting tonight: “I guess it’s pretty easy to respond in a season in which I’m not making a lot of shots so again today I made a few and it felt good.”
Unappreciated as a playmaker, Napier had a better game than McCollum, but Stotts is blind to it. Defensive about Napier and Harkless. McCollum and Lillard have to play 36 minutes only because Olshey overpaid them. We decided wrong. Gasol was their 3rd-best player per minute in the boxscore after Aldridge and Manu. Still not a clutch player, I see. As I said for years, Aldridge's stats come in the low-pressure minutes when it doesn't matter. He never won us games in the last minutes.
