MARCH 2013 IN REVIEWAn 11-5 March puts the Blazers in an unlikely position: just a half game out of the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Damian Lillard has solidified his status as the league's top rookie with his high-level play, and the starters have played heavy minutes to keep the team in playoff contention.
It looks more likely that their first round draft pick will go to the Charlotte Bobcats (top-12 protected). With seven games remaining, each match from here on out will have major playoff implications. The Jazz sit a win above them while the Lakers are a loss behind. Their next game will be in Utah. "I can't wait", says former Jazz guard Wesley Matthews.
Team Record: 37-36
March Record: 11-5
Games Left: 7
Games Behind 8th: .5
Lillard Carries Blazers To Blowout Victory In New Orleans
3/10/2013 - Trail Blazers 104 @ Hornets 90
POR 33 26 24 21 | 104 [30-32] - Lillard: 34/7/6, 13-18 FG; Matthews: 19/5/6
NO 20 29 21 20 | 90 [25-40] - R. Anderson: 19/6/2; G. Vasquez: 11/3/13
Grizzlies Again No Match For Portland
3/12/2013 - Grizzlies 81 @ Trail Blazers 97
MEM 24 16 20 21 | 81 [39-23] - T. Prince: 14/9/3; Z. Randolph: 4/5/1, 3-6 FG
POR 37 15 20 25 | 97 [31-32] - Aldridge: 28/6/0; Batum: 17/3/7
Melo Drops 45 To Lead Knicks Past Blazers In Shootout
3/14/2013 - Knicks 123 @ Trail Blazers 115
NY 29 35 24 35 | 123 [39-24] - C. Anthony: 45/5/4, 15-18 FG, 11/12 FG; J.R. Smith: 22/5/4
POR 23 33 24 35 | 115 [31-33] - Aldridge: 25/7/4; Lillard: 18/4/3
Blazers Dominate Lowly Pistons
3/16/2013 - Pistons 89 @ Trail Blazers 109
DET 27 12 23 27 | 89 [24-44] - J. Calderon: 24/2/6, 9-12 FG; B. Knight: 15/5/5
POR 24 31 25 29 | 109 [32-33] - D. Lillard: 27/2/8; Matthews: 25/1/3, 10-14 FG
Portland Ekes Out Narrow Win In Philadelphia
3/18/2013 - Trail Blazers 91 @ 76ers 90
POR 30 24 14 23 | 91 [33-33] - Batum: 24/6/5; Aldridge: 24/6/4
PHI 23 27 18 22 | 90 [27-39] - Holiday: 21/7/11; Hawes: 15/7/3
Blazers Win Third Straight Behind Aldridge's 27
3/19/2013 - Trail Blazers 108 @ Bucks 93
POR 24 30 20 34 | 108 [34-33] - Aldridge: 27/12/2; Batum: 19/6/8/4 stls
MIL 33 25 18 17 | 93 [32-34] - M. Ellis: 23/5/3; Ilyasova: 13/10/2
Bulls Shut Down Blazers
3/21/2013 - Trail Blazers 81 @ Bulls 97
POR 23 17 25 16 | 81 [34-34] - Hickson: 11/13/0; Lillard: 13/4/6
CHI 23 26 21 27 | 97 [37-30] - D. Rose: 20/2/5; Boozer: 17/9/2
Portland Steals Win In Atlanta
3/22/2013 - Trail Blazers 93 @ Hawks 90
POR 29 19 20 25 | 93 [35-34] - Aldridge: 25/6/1; Lillard: 12/11/9
ATL 31 20 22 17 | 90 [39-30] - J. Smith: 18/8/3; A. Horford: 4/12/2, 1-5 FG
Blazers Fall Short In Oklahoma City
3/24/2013 - Trail Blazers 99 @ Thunder 101
POR 27 20 22 30 | 99 [35-35] - Hickson: 17/10/1; Batum: 17/5/8
OKC 14 29 27 31 | 101 [51-20] - Durant: 21/10/4; R. Westbrook: 16/5/10
Batum Leads Blazers Past Nets
3/27/2013 - Nets 95 @ Trail Blazers 102
BKN 18 26 29 24 | 95 [39-32] - K. Humphries: 16/9/0; B. Lopez: 18/4/0
POR 28 28 25 21 | 102 [36-35] - Batum 33/6/1; Lillard: 16/3/5
Blazers Back In Playoff Picture With Win Over Jazz
3/29/2013 - Jazz 83 @ Trail Blazers 92
UTA 12 27 28 16 | 83 [37-36] - A. Jefferson: 14/13/0; G. Hayward: 17/0/4
POR 17 20 21 24 | 92 [37-35] - Lillard: 22/3/4; Aldridge: 18/8/2
Warriors Hold Off Blazers
3/30/2013 - Trail Blazers 93 @ Warriors 101
POR 19 26 17 31 | 93 [37-36] - Batum: 20/9/2; Hickson: 8/15/0
GS 16 25 32 28 | 101 [42-32] - J. Jack: 24/2/5; S. Curry: 15/10/6
HEADLINES76ers sign Andrew Bynum to 5 yr, $81M extensionBynum has returned to the Sixers, likely too late to make the playoffs, but not to sign a big extension.
Mavericks sign Darren Collison to 4 yr, $35M extensionDespite a shaky start, the Mavs commit to Collison long-term
Kings sign Tyreke Evans to 4 yr, $31M extensionKings get a steal at under $8 million a year, but will they keep him?
Thunder sign Kevin Martin to 4 yr, $26M extensionOKC extends Kevin Martin for less than half of Harden's salary.
Jazz sign Mo Williams to 4 yr, $26M extensionMo Williams has quietly had a solid year in his second stint with the Jazz, but this move keeps them in mediocrity.
Spurs sign Manu Ginobili to 1 yr, $6M extensionGinobili has said he is likely to retire after the 2013-14 season.
Bobcats sign Gerald Henderson to 3 yr, $12.5M extensionCharlotte gets a very solid value for one of their few decent players.
Magic Sign Hedo Turkoglu to 2 yr, $3M extensionTurkoglu will be much more palatable at $1.5 million per year.
Ersan Ilyasova out for season with broken ankleOdds of Bucks being swept in first round increase from 70% to 85%.
Ben Gordon Out For Season With Torn MCLBobcats fans couldn't care less.
Harrison Barnes Tears MCL, Out For SeasonHarsh blow to Warriors' chances, with David Lee also out.
Joakim Noah Out 4-6 Weeks With Torn MeniscusBad timing once again for the Bulls, who just got Derrick Rose back.
Playoff PictureWestern Conferencey-1 San Antonio 55-18 | .753%
x-2 Oklahoma City 53-23 | .716%
x-3 LA Clippers 48-26 | .649%
4 Denver 46-28 | .622%
5 Memphis 44-29 | .603%
6 Golden State 42-32 | .568%
7 Houston 38-35 | .521%
8 Utah 38-36 | .514%
Portland 37-36 | .507%LA Lakers 37-37 | .500%
Dallas 35-38 | .478%
Eastern Conferencey-1 Miami 55-18 | .753%
x-2 New York 46-26 | .639%
x-3 Indiana 44-30 | .595%
x-4 Atlanta 41-33 | .554%
5 Brooklyn 40-33 | .548%
6 Boston 40-33 | .548%
7 Chicago 39-33 | .542%
8 Milwaukee 36-36 | .500%
Philadelphia 31-42 | .425%
Toronto 31-42 | .425%
Cleveland 29-43 | .403%
Big Board - Top 30 Prospects1. PG Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State)
2. C Nerlens Noel (Kentucky)
3. SG Ben McLeMore (Kansas)
4. SF Martti Must (Duke)5. SG Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA)
6. PF Julian Martin (UCLA)
7. SG Fresh Smith (North Carolina)8. SF Otto Porter (Georgetown)
9. C/PF Cody Zeller (Indiana)
10. SG Leo Lai (New Zealand)11. PG/SG CJ McCollum (LeHigh)
12. PF Mason Plumlee (Duke)
13. PG Axel Gomez (Houston)14. SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Georgia)
15. SG Chris Hova (Germany)16. PF Rudy Gobert (France)
17. SG Victor Oladipo (Indiana)
18. SG Archie Goodwin (Kentucky)
19. PF Anthony Bennett (UNLV)
20. PG Trey Burke (Michigan)
21. C/PF Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga)
22. PF James McAdoo (North Carolina)
23. SF Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State)
24. C Alex Len (Maryland)
25. SF Kyle Anderson (UCLA)
26. SF LeBryan Nash (Oklahoma State)
27. SF/PF Alex Poythress (Kentucky)
28. SF J.R. Young (Duke)
29. SG X Watson (Portland State)30. PG Brandon Young (Arkansas)