Trail Blazers vs Spurs Monday, 03/28/11 AT 05:30PM

Around The World: March 28

03/28/11

Written by: DHawes22 / avg. rating: 4.5

March 28

Trail Blazers: A Hungry Wallace Hunts Best
"After watching his 40-point, 7-rebound, 7-fouls drawn effort against the Thunder Sunday night, one might assume the hunger Wallace was referring to wasn't necessarily the kind which could be satiated by ribs, macaroni and cheese and collard greens, which happened to be the meal served on the short flight from Oklahoma City to San Antonio. He could have just as easily been referencing his hunger to lead the Trail Blazers to victory in the first of a crucial three-game road trip. And considering the final result, it's no wonder he felt unsatisfied, despite scoring just two points short of his career high."

Trail Blazers: Wallace's Huge Night Not Enough
"Wallace scored 40 points for the Trail Blazers, and also grabbed 7 rebounds. But, his most impressive feat of the night was frustrating Kevin Durant into 5 for 18 shooting. Durant, who leads the league in scoring, was held to 21 points and wasn't really a factor in the final minutes."

Oregon Live: Jason Quick: Blazers' right starting lineup reveals itself in loss to Thunder
"But make no mistake: It was at the forefront of McMillan's thought process after watching Wallace play nearly all of his 45 minutes on Sunday at small forward, where he scored 40 points and put on one of the most dominant defensive performances the Blazers have seen recently from a wing player."

Oregon Live: At small forward, Gerald Wallace gives Trail Blazers an advantage in the Western Conference
"Who are the other top small forwards in the West? Memphis' Rudy Gay is out for the season after shoulder surgery. The Lakers' Ron Artest is still an imposing defender, but his offense is wildly sporadic, and Wallace showed, when the Blazers played in Los Angeles earlier this month, that he won't be intimidated by the intimidating Artest."

Columbian: Blazers: Report Card (week of March 21-27)
"The Blazers went 2-1 last week — the first win serving as one of the least memorable games this season, the second serving as the most memorable, and the loss ... well, the loss will be something Portland remembers intently until it gets a chance to avenge it."

Rip City Project: Game 73 Recap: Thunder 99, Blazers 90
"I bet you’re thinking I’m going to say the play of Kevin Durant put Oklahoma City over the top. Not a chance. KD had a decent game, but was mostly shut down by Gerald Wallace for the second half Sunday night. In my opinion, the Thunder beat the Blazers because of their length inside. Neither Kendrick Perkins, nor an emergent Serge Ibaka were the difference on their own, but the combination of those two, along with the play of Nazr Mohammed and Nick Collison was simply too much length for Portland to handle."

Blazersedge: Game 73 Recap: Trail Blazers 90, Thunder 99
"Nicolas Batum suffered a quad contusion during the second period and did not start the third, a fortunate turn of events for the Blazers. Marcus Camby took his place and between him, Aldridge, and Wallace Portland's interior defense and rebounding went through the roof. Easy drives for the Thunder ceased as did offensive rebounding. For the first time in the game Portland looked ready to rip it away from Oklahoma City. On offense Wallace was ripping something of Oklahoma City's and it looked downright painful for them. He drove past them like they were children. Then he started connecting on the jumper. Then he started drawing fouls. GW3 ended up with 15 in the period."

SLAM: The Spurs’ Latest Injured Star: Manu Ginobili
“At first, when I came to the bench, I thought I was going to be OK,” Ginobili said. “Then it stiffened up. I can’t put my full weight on it.” The injury, centered just above Ginobili’s left knee, is not considered serious, but it is considered painful. It is not immediately clear how long Ginobili might be unavailable to the Spurs, who are already playing without captain Tim Duncan."

DIME: Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 3.28 (Weekend Recap)
"Anthony Randolph (3/26): 0-5 FG (0%), 3-6 FT (50%), 3 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Randolph’s glorious two-game streak hit a wall made up of the Boston Celtics and foul trouble. With Kevin Love aiming to return sooner than later, Randolph’s owners in weekly leagues should think long and hard before inserting him into their lineups this week."

ESPN: Power Rankings
"Some decent trivia from Elias that I didn't see coming: Do you know what Gerald Wallace has in common with Tim Duncan, Chris Webber and Walt Frazier? All of them have five career 40-point games after Wallace's latest."