----- The Trail Blazers improve to 3-1 on their five-game road trip with a 93-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night at Spectrum Center.
It wasn't easy, but the Portland Trail Blazers improved their record on the road to 9-5 with a 93-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Blazers tried to give the game away in the fourth quarter committing eight turnovers, eight personal fouls, and connecting on just 4-for-10 from the charity stripe. Al-Farouq Aminu had a bad shooting night, but his defense saved the day for the Blazers. With under a minute remaining, Aminu chased down Hornets point guard Kemba Walker from behind and swatted his would-be go ahead bucket off the glass.
Portland (16-13) got a game-high 25 points from CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard added 18 points and 11 assists. Jusuf Nurkic finished with 14 points and five rebounds in his second game back from an ankle injury, and he delivered a solid defensive night against Dwight Howard, limiting the Hornets center to just nine points on 3-for-10 shooting.
Charlotte (10-19) was led by Nicolas Batum. He finished the game with a season-high 23 points on 9-for-17 shooting. He made a season-high five three-pointers.
Next up- Portland will have a day off and finish up the five-game road trip Monday in Minnesota against the Timberwolves. Game is scheduled to tip off at 5:00 PM.
Chad's take- The Blazers have been far from perfect this year, but their 9-5 record on the road this season is evidence that this young roster is learning how to win games. Winning three-straight on the road after their five-game losing streak is a sign of toughness. Credit to Terry Stotts for remaining steady when everyone in the city including myself was freaking out.