LaMarcus Aldridge shines as Portland Trail Blazers defeat the Charlotte Bobcats 93-69
On 7th March 2011, the Portland Trail Blazers lit up the Rose Garden with a clinical 93-69 victory the Charlotte Bobcats. LaMarcus Aldridge was once again the man of the moment for the Trail Blazers. The dazzling forward
pounded 26 points in a low-scoring encounter.
Portland converted the 22 turnovers of the Bobcats into productive 31 points, which eventually proved to be the turning point of the game.
Aldridge faced his teammate, Joel Przybilla in Charlotte colours, for the very first time after the mid-season trade. Not only was Joel one of Aldridge’s best buddies, but they had also played together for Portland since the last
five years.
"It just felt weird, you know?" Aldridge stated after the game.
Przybilla and his fellow centre Sean Marks, forward Dante Cunningham and a pair of conditional first-round draft picks were sent to the Charlotte Bobcats by the Portland Blazers in NBA trade.
Przybilla echoed the same feelings, agreed.
"I wish we could have gotten the win, but it was a different experience, man," he remarked. "Something I'll remember the rest of my life."
The trade took place on February 24, 2011 for Gerald Wallace, who had been the last original member of the 7-year-old Bobcats. It was rather amusing that the deal took place just seven minutes before the trade deadline.
La Marcus Aldridge played well with 26 points while Patrick Mills scored 12 points for Portland, who won the 35th game of the current season. Brandon Roy came off the bench with 10 points for Portland, who won their seventh game
in the last ten contests.
DJ White managed to score 12 points for the Bobcats complemented with game high 9 rebounds.
The Bobcats were without Stephen Jackson, Jackson who was injured in a 92-84 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. Prior to his injury in the third quarter, he added eight points and two rebounds. Charlotte coach Paul
Silas remarked, when questioned about the loss of his team.
"Back-to-back games and when you're missing your best scorer, it's going to be hard to put the ball in the basket,"
Game Analysis
Both teams started the contest with great enthusiasm but the Bobcats managed to take a single-point (16-15) lead at the end of the opening quarter.
The Blazers fought hard during the second quarter to make the score a respectable one as they turned the one point deficit into a 25-19 lead at halftime.
The Blazers extended their offensive game to the third quarter while the Bobcats at the other end, continued to play sloppy basketball. Portland entered their lead to 25-17, heading into the fourth.
Trailing by 13 points at the end of three quarters, Charlotte continued to struggle with turnovers. However, the Trail Blazers maintained double-digit lead throughout the final stanza to seal the home victory a 24-point margin.
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