January 2, 2014
NOTES
• Portland tied a franchise record with 21 3-pointers, set earlier this season on Dec. 14 at Philadelphia. The 21 3-pointers are also the most allowed by Charlotte in a game in franchise history. The Trail Blazers tied a franchise record for 3-pointers in any half with 12 in the first half (12/18/13 at Minnesota).
• The Trail Blazers are the first team in NBA history to make at least 20 3-pointers twice in the same season (tonight and Dec. 14 at Philadelphia).
• Portland now leads the NBA in wins (26) and has the best record in the Western Conference (26-7, .788).
• Portland’s 54 field goals mark a new season high and are the most allowed by Charlotte in team history. The Trail Blazers also posted a new season high with a 58.1% mark from the field.
• Portland has made at least eight 3-pointers in eight consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.
• Damian Lillard is the second player in Trail Blazers history to make at least six 3-pointers in a game without a miss (Terry Porter, 7-7 at Golden State, 11/14/92).
• Damian Lillard is the only NBA player to make at least four 3-pointers in four straight games this season. He has made four or more 3-pointers for the 15th time this season, tied with Stephen Curry for most in the NBA.
• Damian Lillard has now made multiple 3-pointers in 28 games this season (first in the NBA) and Wesley Matthews has done so in 26 games (tied for second) this season.
• Portland scored at least 70 points in a half for the second time this season (71 – first half at Philadelphia, Dec. 14).
• Portland’s 39 points tie a season high for scoring in the first quarter (Dec. 6 vs. Utah).
• Nicolas Batum has made at least one 3-pointer in 33 straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in team history (Cliff Robinson – 41, Rudy Fernandez – 33).
• Meyers Leonard tied a career high with 10 rebounds (3/30/13 at Golden State).
• Mo Williams set a new season high tonight with 10 assists.
• Will Barton scored a new season-high 10 points on 4-for-5 field goal shooting (2-2 3-PT)
• The Trail Blazers made their first seven 3-pointers of the game. Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum each started 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
• Chris Douglas-Roberts led the Bobcats with 20 points (6-8 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 6-7 FT), a new season high
On Difference In Big Win:
“They shot 43 percent. That’s our shooting percentage – the fact that we were able to get stops then we didn’t run many plays, didn’t run many sets and we had them scrambling.”
On Quick Start:
“I think they shot 38 percent or something like that. I’m going to keep saying everything was our defense. We were able to get stops and when we get stops, we’re a dangerous team. Anybody can bring it up the court and it’s hard to set up on us, it’s hard to load up, it’s hard to double team. We can find mismatches. When that ball is flying around the perimeter, any one of us can get hot.”
On Importance Of Coming Out Strong:
“That’s one thing that we have to do. We have to improve on our starts. We have to come out with an aggressive mentality. We didn’t do that against Miami and we didn’t do that against New Orleans, and we took two losses. Oklahoma City kind of blitzed us early, but we were able to home in the second half defensively and we just brought that energy, that fight over to tonight. They started out kind of going basket for basket, but they were contested shots. They were shooting shots we wanted them to and the numbers played out in our favor.”
Do You 'Feel On' When Shooting Like That?
“I’m not going to lie to you, I felt ‘on’ when I woke up from my nap today. I’m not going to lie to you, but yeah, it’s contagious. Making shots is contagious. Our crowd gets into it and our crowd is almost willing the ball in for us before we even shoot it. When that ball is flying around the perimeter like that and LA is getting double teamed and he kicks it out, it’s almost like you’re expected to make it...pitch and catch, like they say.”
Terry Stotts
On Tonight's Game:
“It was a good game obviously. We looked fresh. We played well at both ends of the court. Not a lot to say –we caught a team on a back to back, but we played well. Probably more than anything else, we passed the ball really well and got good shots. Guys were feeling it.”
On 39-Point Quarter After Slow Start In Recent Games:
“I really liked our approach coming into the game as far as the starters just really set the tone with their defense, with the ball movement. Our ball movement really led to good shots and we’ve got good shooters.”
On Winning Big After Eight Close Games:
“It’s always good to get a win like this. Guys on the bench can get some minutes, starters can get some rest. You’ve got to enjoy these because they don’t come often.”
On Being Close To Setting The Three-Point Record
“I knew about it, I knew our record, I knew the NBA record, but I didn’t want to get caught up in that. If we fell into it, then that’s great, but I thought the guys who played the fourth quarter, played the game the right way. They were aggressive, they moved the ball. Defensively, they played hard. I think it’s bad karma to go out and try to do that. I think it’s important for those guys to keep playing.”
On Being A Three-Point Shooting Team:
“Look, we’re going to shoot threes and we’re going to shoot them well. But we win at Oklahoma City shooting 24 percent from three, so they will come and go. I think we’re going to make our percentages because we have a lot of good shooters and we pass the ball well.”
On Being First Team To Make 20+ Three's In The Same Season:
“It’s good to be part of history and do something that hasn’t been done before.”
On Starting Backcourt Shooting 11 For 12 From Three:
“You’re going to have games like that. That first quarter, first half, the game was flowing and I’ve said this a few times – I’m a big believer in confidence at the offensive end and we were shooting with confidence.”
Chris Douglas-Roberts
On Tonight's Game:
“We came out sluggish. This team is too good to come out sluggish. I don’t feel like we were ready to play. They’re too good to not come out here and give 100 percent. And they hit 20 three’s and that was the game. But they’re a 3-point shooting team, they make three’s. We have to do some soul searching to turn this thing around.”
On Trail Blazers Shooting Tonight:
“That was in the game plan. They shoot three’s and they make three’s. They’re the leading team in the NBA in points per possession. This is all in the game plan. We could have played better tonight. They’re a great team, definitely, but we weren’t at our best.”
On If Fatigue Played A Factor Tonight:
“No, this is the NBA. You can’t use that as an excuse. None of the good teams use that as an excuse. We just have to look within a little bit here. We should have played harder and better today."
On His Performance Tonight:
“Yeah, I’m getting comfortable. I’m always working outside of the games to get my game in rhythm. I’ve always been confident, I knew my game would come around.”
Steve Clifford
On His Biggest Concerns From Tonight's Game:
“I just think we’re thinking about the wrong things. I think actually, we’ve been talking about it since before Christmas. You remember when we won four out of five our effort defensively has been going down and down and we’ve gone from , to me, an exceptional, multiple effort team, we’re going from one play to the next, where now we want to make one effort, get the ball and go. Our team, to me, is thinking too much about offensive. We have guys who need to build their games around their defense and they’re worried about their offense and we’re not built that way.”
On Getting The Team To Buy Into Defense First:
“The only thing I will say is that with these guys right here, we have played some really good defense, but it has been going down. Both of those are good defenders but we have guys, and they know it, who were playing excellent defense at the first 25 games of the year and their defensive effort isn’t even close to what it needs to be.”
On Chris Douglas-Roberts:
You know what, he’s done well ever since he has been here. He is a good offensive player, he is a good competitor and he’s smart. Even in the games he hasn’t scored, he has played well. You can throw him in there, he functions well, he always knows what is going on. He’s a good player.”