Portland Trail Blazers vs L.A. Lakers: Gerald Wallace Leads Blazers to Home Win
"Ger-ald Wall-ace!" was chanted throughout the Rose Garden in the waning moments in the fourth quarter.
Crash was exchanging a few unpleasantries with Ron Artest and the crowd let him know that they had his back.
Gerald Wallace scored 19 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out seven assists; playing a complete game in Portland's 93-86 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Friday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge also had a double-double—putting up 24 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and two steals—and Wesley Matthews scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Andre Miller nearly had a triple-double, dropping 12 points, 13 assists and six rebounds while the Portland Trail Blazers captured their fourth win out of five games and their 47th win of the season.
The Blazers held a 24-point lead with three minutes left in the third quarter when the NBA champions decided to show up and play basketball. But it was too little, too late as Portland was able to maintain their lead and keep the Lakers from solidifying their position as the No. 2 seed in the West.
Kobe Bryant had 24 points, shooting an abysmal 10-of-25 from the field. Lamar Odom continued to back up his campaign for Sixth Man of the Year, scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Ron Artest scored 14 points, hitting back-to-back threes while quarreling with Wallace in the fourth.
However, the biggest disappointment for the Lakers were their big men: Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The Laker bigs scored a combined 11 points; the combination of Aldridge and Wallace proved to be a challenge for the Los Angeles 7-footers.
OK, now that we got the stats out of the way, let's talk Crash.
Gerald Wallace has been worth his weight in gold since he's gotten to Portland. After a slow start, he made his way to the starting five where he's played some small forward and a lot of power forward. Wallace's versatility allows the Blazers to go with a smaller, faster lineup without giving up inside defense.
And on offense? Forget about it.
Wallace scored 29 points in Portland's win against Utah and he dropped 40 in a losing effort against Oklahoma City. His nickname, Crash, came from the physicality he demonstrates when banging on the inside for those rebounds and attacking the basket.
He spreads the floor with his ability to knock down the three and he can finish at the hole. Wallace has become an integral part of this team and has proven to be a huge mismatch for many power forwards in this league.
Now, what's next for Portland? One thing they don't want is the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. I'm sure each member on the team would rather take their chances with Dallas than the likes of the Black Mamba and coach Phil Jackson in the postseason. If they're going to see the Mavs in the olayoffs, a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday is a MUST.
If they can do that, the Portland Trail Blazers could see their first second-round appearance since God knows when.
