PORTLAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers made their first 10 shots of the game, looking unstoppable offensively.
And for the first time in four games in this season, the Blazers looked unstoppable, too.
The two teams combined for 75 first-quarter points with both teams getting it going from many different places. But the Blazers controlled the final three quarters, winning 101-82 on Tuesday at the Moda Center.
The stars were on display and LeBron James was in town, hitting his first three shots of the game. The Cavs scored 34 first-quarter points and it looked like a case of “here we go again” with Portland’s slow starts.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Nicolas Batum admitted when asked if the Blazers were worried. “So we try to step up our defense, and we did a good job.”
They did and then LeBron went cold, missing 8 of his final 9 shots.
James, usually a killer against every team he plays, wasn’t the only Cav player who had an off night. Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters had a forgettable night.
James, Irving and Waiters combined to shoot 10 of 38 from the field. The Cavs scored 48 total points in the final three quarters.
The Blazers threw different combinations of bodies at all of Cleveland’s perimeter players.
“Dame start on Kyrie, I start on LeBron, then we switch,” Nicolas Batum, who finished with seven points, nine rebounds and five assists. “Wes got LeBron, I got Kyrie then we switch back. I got LeBron, he’s back on Dion Waiters, I’m back on Kyrie, so we mixed it up and it worked.”
While the Blazers were happy with their effort on defense, they won’t say they’ve found their identity just yet.
“We’re working at it,” Lillard said, coming off his best game of the season with 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
“I wouldn’t say we’re developing a defensive identity. It’s something that we focus on and we know we need to be better at if we are going to be a better team. So, I think it’s obvious that we want to be better defensively and that’s the biggest thing is that we want to be better and it’s starting to show.”
Portland coach Terry Stotts said that the Blazers showed how they are capable of playing on both ends.
“We were playing playing at the level we knew we could,” he said.
Meanwhile, Portland’s backcourt of Lillard and Wesley Matthews combined for 48 points, outscoring the combination of Irving and Waiters in the fourth quarter alone, scoring 18 in the final period.
Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge renewed their old rivalry.
Love was the Cavaliers’ lone bright spot on the offensive end, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds. But it was Portland’s center Robin Lopez who led the front court, finishing with 19 points and six rebounds.
The Blazers looked much better on the offensive end, hitting shots and matching the aggression that the Cavs brought to start the game.
And Lillard, going through a struggle shooting the ball, picked his spots, getting some open looks created by Blazers ball movement.
“He was terrific on both ends of the court. I thought he took the challenge defensively whoever he was guarding, whether it was Waiters or Irving,” said Stotts about his point guard’s game.
“Now you don’t have to ask ‘What’s wrong with Damian?’ anymore,” he said.
The Blazers outplayed the Cavs in the middle quarters which looked like it would set up an exciting finish.
Instead, the Blazers went on a rout in the final period, outscoring the Cavaliers 25-13.
The Blazers bench also brought energy, in the form of Will Barton and Thomas Robinson, and a bench heavy unit led by Matthews helped create separation for the eventual blowout.
Next up for the Blazers is a date with Dirk Nowitzki and a revamped Mavericks team that’s won three of its first four games.
