Within the first 2:15 of Monday's Game Four matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, Al-Farouq Aminu had exercised the demons that plagued his side from deep in the first three games of the series with back-to-back three-pointers to start the Blazers on a 12-4 run in the first quarter. There was no looking back as Portland led wire-to-wire in the 98-84 victory at Moda Center to even the series, 2-2, going back to LA.
Entering Game Four, the Blazers had shot just 25.9% from deep in the series, down from their regular-season mark of 37%. Aminu, along with swingman Allen Crabbe, had struggled to combine for a 4-for-25 mark to begin the series. But both broke out of their three-point slumps Monday hitting 8 of Portland's 13 field goals from behind the arc.
Aminu was the star of the evening, scoring a career-high of 30 points to go with 10 rebounds. His six three-pointers, also a career-high, set the tone for the Blazers' evening from deep.
"It was just a matter of time," head coach Terry Stotts said of Aminu's performance. "Obviously, he struggled shooting the ball the first three game, but that didn't take away from what he was giving us defensively. It was good to see him break out."
"From the coach staff to the players, they all said, 'If you have open shots, take 'em,'" Aminu said of the encouragement from his coaches and teammates after the first three games.
"You don't get too high, you don't get too low, now matter what happens. You have a routine, I've been doing this a minute and you've gotta keep trusting. Also, I always look at other players who have done this before. Some of the greatest shooters have gone through slumps and always found their way out."
Similar to Aminu, Crabbe entered Monday's game 2-for-12 for the series and an 0-for-5 mark from deep. The third-year guard answered the call in Game Four with a playoff career-high of 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, including two three pointers.
"I felt good," Crabbe said. "I just needed to see the first one go in and I just felt like myself tonight. They denied me the ball, they don’t help off me or in pick-and-rolls, so I just have to find other ways to get the ball. Handoffs, get into my one-dribble pull-ups… I like those. I just found ways to score."
"If you’re a good shooter, you don’t forget how to shoot," Stotts said of Crabbe's breakout. "I was glad he had the looks. It was good to see the first one go in. He only took five shots. Last game he took four shots and they were all the same shots, so I think we all had confidence he was going to eventually break out just like Chief [Aminu]. We needed it, and I still think we can get better offensively.”
Now, with the series tied 2-2, the Blazers go back to LA for Game Five on Wednesday. Series wins aside, the matchup looks dramatically different with Clippers point guard Chris Paul sidelined with a fractured third metacarpal in his right hand and Blake Griffin's status in question with a sore quadriceps. For the Trail Blazers, Portland now has the added comfort of knowing Aminu and Crabbe have re-found their stroke.