Turkoglughhhh….
A slow start and poor defensive coverage was too much for the Trailblazers to recover from despite a fourth-quarter turnover and dash flurry, as they feel to the Orlando Magic 107-104, in the Rose Garden on Wednesday night, dropping Portland to 7-3 on the season.
BOXSCORE | Q’s POST GAME RECAP
Orlando 107, Portland 104
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Officials: #48 Scott Foster, # Karl Lane, #53 Mark Lindsay
Attendance: 20467
It was Portland’s first home loss of the season, and one that pointed out a variety of potential problems.
Love’ Em
1. LaMarcus Aldridge and the final minutes
Aldridge blew up late in the fourth, helping to take it to the Magic and make them sweat a little coming down the stretch. He finished the game 10-17 for 23 points with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
His late-game defense on Howard was timely and nearly helped save the game for Portland.
2. Turnovers
Portland did win the turnover battle, forcing 18 and committing only 7. That was a large part of the narrow margin and much better than the teams 13 TOP average.
Magic vs. Trailblazers Recap - Love 'em & Hate 'em
Hate’ Em
1. Back-to-back games
It’s beginning to look as if the Blazers do not perform as well on the second night of back-to-backs or when the schedule fatigues them. Could it be because of a short rotation or their energy-intensive style?
2. Defending the 3-point shot
It took Orlando just over a quarter to make more threes than any other Portland opponent this season.
Six different Magic players connected from beyond the arc , as Orlando shot better from downtown (16-for-27 for 59.3 percent) than they did on two-point attempts (25-for-43 for 58.1 percent).
While a loss to the NBA‘s No. 2 team in 3-pointers is disappointing, it wasn’t all that surprising either.
Now Portland will have to prove they can win on the road as they embark on a six-game road trip starting in San Antonio on Friday.
About Matt Martz
