Hornets don't sting in Portland

March 5, 2012, 11:17 pm

The Portland Trail Blazers had lost the last three games and with a huge seven game road trip on the horizon, they needed to win this game.  Nate McMillan announced that he was going to start Raymond Felton and have Jamal Crawford come off the bench.    Nate said before the game that he believed the All Star break and some time on the bench is what the point guard needed to get his head back in the game.

New Orleans scored a quick five points to open the game, but following five points from Nicolas Batum, the Blazers didn’t look back.  Batum had nine points in the opening quarter,  and ended the game with nineteen, going seven for sixteen.
Nate’s decision to start Raymond Felton paid off as he played thirty minutes, going five for ten, and had a double – double.  Jamal Crawford came off the bench, adding five points on nineteen minutes.

At the half, Portland was up 46-38. New Orleans came out and started the third quarter just like they started the game, scoring the first five points.  Following a Belienelli three, the Hornets went ice cold.  They failed to score for five minutes.  They only scored ten points for the quarter.  The highlight for the Blazers in the third was the play of Wesley Matthews adding six points including a big three that put Portland up 70 to 48 going into the final quarter.

Former Blazer Jarrett Jack played twenty seven minutes and had only three points.  His only made basket was the first hoop for New Orleans in the first quarter.  Portland is back at the .500 mark, heading out for a seven game road trip.  Portland heads to Minnesota, followed by Boston, Washington, Indiana, New York, Chicago, and Oklahoma City.

There is some hope on the other side of the trip, as the Portland will play eleven of the next fifteen games at home.