Wesley Matthews vs. Bradley Beal
By now, Trail Blazers fans and the rest of the NBA know all about the 3-point shooting prowess of Wesley Matthews. The fourth-year Trail Blazer ranks sixth in the league with 166 makes from beyond the arc, which is also already good enough for sixth on Portland’s all-time list in a single season. What perhaps not everyone has noticed is Matthews’ increased all-around ability to score the ball. He already has his most free throws in a season since 2010-11 and is averaging a career-high 16.4 points per game, third-most on the Trail Blazers. Matthews has also been a consistent scoring option for Portland, tallying 15 points or more in better than 65 percent of his games this year. His counterpart at shooting guard tonight was the third pick in the 2012 NBA draft, and among his peers in that draft class, he ranks third in scoring this season. For the record, the number one pick, Anthony Davis, also ranks first in scoring. But Trail Blazers fans won’t be surprised to hear the number two pick is not second in the category – That spot belongs to Damian Lillard (the sixth pick). But back to Beal. The Wizards guard is building a reputation as a great 3-point shooting in his own right, ranking 17th this season league-wide at 41.2 percent from downtown. And you probably remember the 20-year-old just last month was in the national spotlight when he narrowly lost to Marco Belinelli in the final round of the 2014 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend.
Wesley Matthews
• His 166 3-pointers rank sixth in the NBA this year and sixth by a Trail Blazer in any season
• Has scored 15-plus points in 45 games this season, tying his career high from 2010-11
• One of only four players to ever make 600 or more career 3-pointers for the Trail Blazers (618)
Bradley Beal
• Ranks 17th in the NBA in 3-point shooting (41.2%) and 29th in 3-pointers made (114) this year
• His 17.1 points per game this season rank third among second-year players behind only Anthony Davis (21.4) and Damian Lillard (21.2)
• Finished runner-up to Marco Belinelli in the 2014 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend