Postgame Notes - January 24, 2018 Portland 123, Minnesota 114 Game #48 • Home Game #24 TEAM • Portland won its seventh consecutive game at Moda Center, extending the longest home winning streak of the season. • The Trail Blazers scored over 100 points for the 13th game in a row, extending the longest streak of the season. • The Trail Blazers shot a season best 54.9% from the field (45-of-82) and had their second-most accurate game from behind the three-point line, shooting 54.8% from deep (17-of-31). • Portland had 24 assists while Minnesota finished with 20 assists. • The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Timberwolves, 37-33. • The Trail Blazers scored 43 points in the third quarter, their highest-scoring quarter of the season. PLAYER • Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 31 points (9-17 FG, 6-11 3-PT, 7-7 FT), four rebounds and six assists. It was the 13th game Lillard has scored 30-plus points this season and his eighth straight game with 20-plus points, matching his longest streak of the season. • It was the 165th career game of 25-plus points for Damian Lillard, tying him with LaMarcus Aldridge for the second-most in franchise history (284, Clyde Drexler). • CJ McCollum scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 28 points (12-20 FG, 4-5 3-PT, 0-2 FT), three rebounds and five assists. McCollum’s 12 made field goals are tied for the second-most he has had in a game this season (14, Nov. 7 vs. Memphis). • Al-Farouq Aminu logged 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-4 3-PT) and seven rebounds and two steals. Aminu has made at least three three-pointers in three of the last five games. • Ed Davis recorded his third double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points (3-3 FG, 5-7 FT) and 10 rebounds. It was his third straight game with 10 rebounds. • Pat Connaughton scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting (2-3 3-PT) in 22 minutes off the bench. It was the 10th game this season that Connaughton has scored in double figures. • Evan Turner had nine points (4-6 FG), six assists and two steals. • Zach Collins had eight points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3-PT) and five rebounds. It was the first time in his career that Collins has made multiple three-pointers. • Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 24 points (11-17 FG, 2-4 3-PT) while Karl-Anthony Towns added 16 points and nine rebounds.
HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS “Really a good game. Offensively, we had it going. Obviously the third quarter was a really productive third quarter. We never really got on track defensively, although I thought we did make some good defensive plays. Wiggins is a good one-on-one player and he got to the lane. Crawford does what he does. But I liked our consistency throughout the game, especially on the offensive end.” Fun seeing Connaughton’s dunks? “Very fun. I mean, he had three dunks and two threes. That’s a nice combination. I think he bailed CJ out on that pass, but that was fun to watch.” On Aminu: “It’s an up and down league. Obviously CJ and Chief struggled shooting the ball in Denver and it came back today. They both shot it really well. I thought our ball movement was pretty good, I don’t know if the assists showed that but Dame was in a good rhythm, Chief was taking advantage of the fact that they really collapsed in the paint and he was spotting up. Defensively, he continues to take the challenge of guarding premier post players.” DAMIAN LILLARD “I thought we played with great energy. We flew around on the defensive end. Even at the start of the game when they were making shots, I thought our energy was good energy. We moved the ball and I thought it was just a complete effort. Our team didn’t get discouraged in the first quarter when they was just making shots over us. We just stayed with it but we played the kind of game we wanted to play from an effort standpoint and focus.” What did you think of the third quarter? “I think in the last two years, that’s probably the best quarter as far as how – when we watch film and we’re in training camp and stuff like that, if we could just watch that whole quarter, in training camp they would say this how we want to play, this is how the ball needs to move, this is how we need to screen, this is the pace we need to have and what’s going to allow us to do it is defending the way we did. That was a showcase, it was a great display of Blazer basketball.” On enjoying Connaughton’s dunks “We all know he can jump. We see him do it all the time. To see him do it in a game, I always wonder what the other team is thinking, when they’re like this white dude is up here? I’m sure on the scouting report he’s a shooter and a hard right-hand drive driver but I always wonder what they think when they see him catching lobs and he’s one of our most explosive players. It’s impressive. It’s fun to watch.” On playing connected: “Weeks ago I said we’re starting to play the kind of basketball we need to play. The thng that’s giving us a chance is us setting screens and focusing and executing. It’s this option and the team take that away, then it’s that option and that takes focus because you’ve got to know the plays, you’ve got to be able to make reads, your mind’s got to be into it to make this offense work because it’s a great offense and I think guys are getting comfortable. We’re trusting each other, we’re making the game easier for each other. It’s flowing really well right now.”
HEAD COACH TOM THIBODEAU On recovering from Portland’s three-point shooting: “Well the third quarter was a problem for us. If you go in and you try to trade buckets, you’re going to be in trouble, particularly on the road. It’s a problem. Both of their guards had big nights for them.” On what changed in the third quarter compared to the first half: “You have to stay disciplined, they’re capable of making tough shots. But you have to keep challenging and you can’t give them air space.” On the pressure Lillard’s shooting causes: “You can’t give him much room, your awareness has to be great. I thought in the first half we played ok and in the third quarter we gave them a cushion and that’s all they needed.” On what aspect of Lillard’s game causes the most problems: “I think the shooting is what. His shot and [CJ] McCollum’s shot are very good off the dribble and they’re very good pick and roll players. Any body position mistake, they’re going to make you pay for it and your bigs have to more than one thing. And they’re also good playmakers so if you put two on them then they’re going to hit the open man. And when they’re on the floor together they spread you out pretty good.” On if Andrew Wiggins is playing more aggressive recently: “No, he’s been doing it all year. It’s been steady. I mentioned this earlier, I think his impact on winning has been far greater this year than it was last year. It’s not just his scoring, it’s his defense, it’s his rebounding, he’s seeing plays now, he’s making other people better. He’s doing a lot of good things for us, but I think he, Jimmy [Butler] and KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] are sacrificing shots but the winning, which is the most important step, has gone up. For all of them.”
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS How tough is it to stop Portland when they get in the 3-point rhythm like tonight? It’s in shots. We made mistakes. They took tough shots. We have to give them credit. What kind of pressure does it put on the defense when Lillard seems to make it from anywhere? I mean, we have to turn the faucet off. We didn’t do a good job of playing defense tonight, obviously, from a numbers stand point. I have to be better next time so we can get a better result. You typically don’t let small runs turn into big ones. Can you pinpoint what was missing? We just didn’t play defense tonight. I have to be better. I have to be better for my teammates. I have to be better so we don’t have those kinds of moments open up. We have to stop the bleeding when it’s early, and make sure that we do a better job… especially me. Coach said you guys have more than enough to win, even without Jimmy. You’ve won two without him, but is it hard to sustain that over time? I mean, we have to be able to play through any situation. Jimmy is an amazing player, one of the best in the league obviously. When you lose him it creates a big task for us, but we have to go out there, next man up and get the job done. Like he says, we have more than enough talent in this locker room to get the job done, and I have total confidence in everyone in this locker room to get the job done. We just have to do it, and that’s all it is. ANDREW WIGGINS Even through half time and in the third you were close, what happened? We just had to step away. We kind of gave them a cushion at their border. They got in a run, hitting a lot of 3s. We just have to play better defense together. How much pressure does it put on the defense when Dame seems to make it from anywhere? It’s a lot of pressure. It keeps us on our feet. We always have to be aware of where he is. Guys coming off the pick and rolls… it’s just a team effort. You guys have been very efficient defensively, but how difficult is it for a team who shoots the 3 like they do? A big difference. They’re hitting everything. They couldn’t miss tonight. We have to make it harder on them too. Coach said you have more than enough to win without Jimmy, you guys have won 2 without him, does that catch up to you over time? We have a lot of players. A lot of people who can hoop. Obviously, we miss Jimmy. He’s a big part of the team, but we scored 100 something points this game. That’s enough to win any NBA game, but it starts with defense. With Jimmy out, how does that change your play and add more offensive responsibility? I have to be more aggressive. That’s about it. That’s what it comes down to.
