Wesley Matthews shines as Portland Trail Blazers trounce Minnesota Timberwolves
Wesley Matthew’s continued his excellent form as he scored a game-high 36 points. The prolific guard spearheaded the Portland Trail Blazers to a 108-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Centre. The win marked Portland’s 14th straight
win over Minnesota.
Matthews said after the game, “My job was easy, just got to shoot the ball.”
LaMarcus Aldridge continued to play like a Most Valuable Player (MVP), finishing with 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who won their 20th game of the season. Andre Miller provided a spark off the bench, chipping in with 16 points, 10 assists, and
four rebounds.
Kevin Love did all he could, as he scored a team-high 30 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who lost their 28th game of the season. Michael Beasley played despite unexplained scratches on the right side of his face and a hard fall on his hip, and
scored 17 points for Minnesota, who have lost four of their past five games.
Game Story
Portland put up a great show on Friday night as they dominated the home side. However, that is exactly what the Blazers needed to do to Minnesota. The Wolves were not fielding a full strength team, and they do not have the talent or form at this point to
trouble Portland. That is exactly the type of game Portland need to get used to if they want to bolster their record.
The Trail Blazers did not play well offensively in the first quarter, but found a way to build their lead, and went into the second quarter ahead at 37-27. Matthews hit all five of his three-pointers and scored 19 in the first quarter.
“We dug ourselves too big of a hole to dig out of,” Timberwolves forward Anthony Tolliver said. “We got to get off to better starts.”
In the second quarter, Matthews hit his first seven shots from the field and was 7 for 8 from the three-point range, to give Portland a 63-43 lead going into half time.
The Wolves fought hard to make the score a respectable one, but the Trail Blazers maintained a comfortable edge throughout the second half. Portland mixed it up offensively, taking a 88-72 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Timberwolves did well to cut a 24-point deficit to nine with a minute and a half to go in the game, but two more turnovers down the stretch ended any hopes of a comeback.
“All the things that we talked about that we showed the guys, we just didn't do a good job of what we wanted to do game-plan wise,” Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis said.
Exceptional play of the Day
Portland point guard Andre Miller grabbed a team-high 10 assists. Miller now has 6,729 assists for his career; the 16th-most in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) history.
Matthews made all six of his shots in the first quarter, including five three-pointers to give the Trail Blazers a 37-point first quarter, and a double-digit lead which they held until the game's final two minutes.
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