Watch LaMarcus Aldridge Drop 37 Points In Blazers’ Loss To Clippers

We’re much more concerned with the outcomes of single games between contenders than a player’s individual performance. That the Los Angeles Clippers went into the Moda Center on Wednesday and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, for instance, is the biggest takeaway from last night’s matchup. But sometimes a guy plays so well that it deserves special notice nonetheless; that was LaMarcus Aldridge versus the Clippers. Watch the sharp-shooting big man put his vast repertoire of skills on display with a sick 37-point performance in his team’s 105-99 loss.

Sick.

When LMA’s jumper is going, how do you stop him? There just isn’t a defender in basketball with the requisite combination of length, strength, and mobility to get consistent contests on his release while being sturdy enough to push him off the block and dexterous enough to stay with him off the bounce. And now that he’s added the long-ball to his game, Aldridge – and the Blazers, naturally – are even more difficult to check.

Portland’s vastly underrated defense is chief reason for its sterling 30-9 record. It shares the ball as well as most any team in basketball, and Damian Lillard’s continued improvement – plus the make-up of this roster – makes him Terry Stotts’ most valuable offensive player.

But the Blazers obviously, wouldn’t be where they are without Aldridge. And considering his utterly dominant performance against the Houston Rockets in last year’s playoffs, perhaps we’ll get another reminder of that reality come this spring.