Blazers Sweep The Timberwolves In a 110 - 91 Win

Last night the Blazers played the second in a back to back against the Timberwolves in Minnesota. After a devastating loss in overtime against Chicago the night before, the Blazers were looking for a strong win propelling them into their Monday game at Memphis. The Timberwolves on the other hand have had a rough season and were looking for a good win to help them go towards the end of the season with some positives to look back on.

Starting Five:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Nicolas Batum
Marcus Camby
Andre Miller
Brandon Roy


Top honors of the night go to none other than Frenchy himself, Nicolas Batum! Batum had an outstanding night with a career high 31 points and 7 assists! Not to mention he was in triple double territory with 7 rebounds as well. Nico has been consistently doing great things since his return from shoulder surgery and I couldn't be happier with his progression. LaMarcus Aldridge continued his excellent play from the night before with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. For the past couple games LaMarcus has been a major factor for the Blazers. He's been extra aggressive on both ends of the court and has out hustled the other teams. It's great to see all this energy from LaMarcus. You can tell he's happy to have Brandon Roy back on the court because when he was gone, he was the number one go-to guy and now he has his co-captain back sharing the responsibilities. The Euro Connection was in full affect tonight as Rudy Fernandez also had himself a good night with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Rudy seems to be finding his touch again and is gaining more and more confidence on the court.

Here's A Look At The Rest Of the Box Score:

After a rough loss in OT the night before, the Blazers came out with extra energy pushing them to a pretty easy win over Minnesota. The number of jumpshots we were taking made me nervous but luckily we were able to live by the J last night. Nicolas Batum, what more can you say about his performance? The guy went crazy on both ends of the court showing everyone how the game of basketball is meant to be played. I know Nico won't be having 30+ every night but I'm glad he was able to have a great night giving him confidence going into the sprint to playoffs. Also, I have to give a shoutout to the Euro Connection as Rudy and Nico were making big shots and helping each other do it! AND we can not forget to give a big shoutout to the Aussie, Patty Mills was able to get himself a career high 8 points! Congrats Patty! All this Blazer energy led to a 110 - 91 win over the TWolves. This win gave the Blazers the best record on the second of a back to back in the NBA so far with 12 - 3.

Photo(s) Of the Night:

BATUM SHAKA-LAKA! Go get yours Nico!

The Blazers next travel to Memphis, Tennessee to take on ex-Blazer, Zach "ZBo" Randolph and his Memphis Grizzlies.

•  Memphis leads the season series, 2-1, with the road team winning each game. The Grizzlies have won just one four-game series between the teams in series history (3-1, 2004-05), and their two-game winning streak is one shy of a series best for Memphis.
•  The Trail Blazers have won the last six contests in Memphis, Portland’s longest current road winning streak against any team.
•  In three meetings this year, Portland has shot 42.4% from beyond the arc and 46.3% overall, while Memphis has shot 47.7% from the field and 36.7% from deep.
•  Brandon Roy’s 24.3 points and 8.3 assists in three series meetings lead all players, while Martell Webster has added 18.0 points (51.4% FG) in three contests.
•  O.J. Mayo’s 21.0 scoring average (54.0% FG) has led Memphis in the series. Zach Randolph (19.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and Marc Gasol (19.0 ppg, 11.0 ppg) have averaged double-doubles in their three appearances vs. Portland this season.
•  Portland swept Memphis last season for the second consecutive year by winning all four series contests in the span of 49 days, from Feb. 18 to April 7. The Trail Blazers averaged a 9.5-point margin of victory (94.8-85.3) in the four wins.
•  Greg Oden and Memphis guard Mike Conley played together on Ohio State’s NCAA runner-up team in 2006-07 and at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis.
•  Rudy Fernandez and Grizzlies center Marc Gasol are both members of the Spanish National Team, which finished second to the USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
•  Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph averaged 16.0 points (46.6% FG), 7.7 rebounds and 28.9 minutes in 387 games for Portland from 2001-07.
•  Memphis Head Coach Lionel Hollins played five seasons for Portland from 1975-80, posting averages of 13.6 points, 4.4 assists and 1.90 steals. Hollins and Memphis assistant coach Johnny Davis played together on Portland’s 1976-77 NBA Championship team.
•  Grizzlies assistant coach Damon Stoudamire played for Portland from 1997-2005, averaging 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

1. Get stops, play defense - Memphis has been known to go on big runs against us. We have been able to bring it back in some games but in others the deficit was just too great. In our last game, we allowed Memphis to go on a 21 - 0 run between the first and second quarters allowing them a 32 - 15 lead and they never trailed for the rest of the game.
2. Beat them to the line - We've been really good at getting to the line and getting the other team in the penalty early in recent games and that should definitely continue tomorrow. I am counting on you Jerryd Bayless, Brandon Roy, Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge! Put your head down and get to that line!
3. Crash the Boards - Zach randolph has been crashing the boards for Memphis, especially on the offensive end, he leads the NBA with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game. Last game agains the Knicks, he also tallied a career high 25 rebounds. That's huge for them and we need to make sure we do everything we can to keep them off the baords. (That means you Marcuses! LaMarcus/Marcus)
4. Beat them to 100 - I have a feeling that whoever reaches 100 first tonight will take the game. We have a losing streak against teams who reach the centennial before we do so lets get ourselves some chalupas!!
6.  Watch Their Js - Memphis is 15-5 this season when making as many or more three-pointers than its opponent, so we need to protect beyond the arch if their Js start to fall and it'd be really nice to see a Marty Marty Downtown Party or a (....Rudy Party?) streak from Rudy or Nico.

Though it is looking like Memphis won't be making the playoffs, it is crucial that we get a win tomorrow. We're coming up close behind San Antonio so all games are critical from here on out. Come on Blazers, finish strong!

Also, a Happy Early Birthday is due for former Blazer Brian Grant who will be celebrating his big day on March 5th!!

Lastly, here is a little video I took from the season ticket holder party a couple weeks ago of the players being introduced. WARNING turn your speakers down, Blazer fans know how to get loud.



(Pictures: Yahoo! Sports)