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 The result was the most one-sided victory for the Trail Blazers
in more than two years.
Guard Mo Williams came off the bench for season highs in points (21)
and rebounds (six) to go with seven assists as Portland blew out
Brooklyn 124-80 Wednesday night at the Moda Center.
It was the largest margin of victory for Portland since a 112-68
rout of the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 1, 2012.
"I didn't see that one coming," Portland coach Terry Stotts said.
"It was a good effort by everyone who played."
Forward Nicolas Batum contributed 19 points, six rebounds and six
assists for the Trail Blazers (40-18), who won for the fourth
straight game. Reserve guard Will Barton also had a big night for
the winners, finishing with a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Seven Blazers scored in double figures, including guard Damian
Lillard with 14, forward Victor Claver with 13 and guard C.J.
McCollum and center Robin Lopez with 11 apiece. The Portland bench
accounted for a season-high 68 points.
"That's a lot of points from the bench," Batum said. "It was great
the way they have stepped in the last couple of games with the guys
we have injured. Will, C.J., Vic, Mo -- they did their job tonight.
That was a big part of the win."
Portland never trailed from midway through the first quarter on and
led by as many as 45 points.
"We came out with energy," Williams said. "That set the tone for us,
we never looked back."
Guard Deron Williams led the Nets (26-29) with 12 points, and guard
Joe Johnson added 11. The result tied the third-largest margin of
defeat in franchise history.
Portland shot 53.5 percent from the field -- including 41.9 percent
(13 for 31) from 3-point range. Brooklyn shot 39.5 percent from the
field and made only four of 22 3-point attempts (18.2 percent).
"We just had a lack of energy," Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd said. "We
didn't make shots and kind of felt sorry for ourselves, which
carried over to the defense end."
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When Portland jacked a 24-point halftime lead to 69-40 midway
through the third quarter, the Nets' starters were done for the
night. The Blazers extended their advantage to 104-70 midway through
the fourth period, and the difference grew to 45 points near game's
end.
"We lose like this, it's just a complete lack of focus," said
Brooklyn forward Paul Pierce, who had only six points and four
rebounds in 24 minutes. "No way should we lose by 40 with the guys
we've got. We could have played against the Eastern Conference
All-Stars, we shouldn't lose by 40. We just didn't show up tonight."
Portland jumped to a 13-6 lead, but Brooklyn rallied to go ahead
16-15. The Blazers answered with a 10-0 run to go back on top 25-16,
then carried a 29-20 advantage into the second quarter.
The edge was hiked to 35-22 before Portland closed the first half on
a 13-0 run to take a 58-34 lead into intermission. Batum had 15
points, four rebounds and three assists; Barton 12 points, six
rebounds and two assists and Mo Williams 11 points, five assists and
four rebounds at the break. Portland shot 50 percent from the field
in the first half, Brooklyn only 33.3 percent.
NOTES: Portland was both short and short-handed. Four of the team's
five big men were missing due to injury -- starting F LaMarcus
Aldridge (groin), backup F Thomas Robinson (knee) and reserve
centers Joel Freeland (knee) and Meyers Leonard (ankle). The only
big man left standing was starting C Robin Lopez. ... Portland
yielded its lowest single-game point total of the season. ... The
last time Portland had two reserves score 20 or more points in a
game was Dec. 12, 2007 (James Jones, Travis Outlaw) against the
Golden State Warriors. ... The Blazers are 20-3 this season when G
Mo Williams scores in double figures. ... Portland won the
rebounding battle 53-29 after getting hammered 64-41 on the boards
in a 100-95 win at Denver on Tuesday night. The Nuggets had 27
offensive rebounds in that one -- 15 by former Blazers C J.J.
Hickson.
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