Trail Blazers fall to Hornets, but Nicolas Batum's return is a bright spot

Forget the humbling final score and late-game collapse. Ignore Chris Paul’s impressive second-half performance.

Because beyond the discouraging 98-97 loss to the New Orleans Hornets Monday night at the Rose Garden, there was an important development for the Trail Blazers that could lead to better things down the road.

Nicolas Batum returned. And despite missing three months and 45 games recovering from surgery on his right shoulder, the second-year forward flashed glimpses of being a second-half difference-maker during his 10 minutes, 23 seconds of play.

“He was better than I thought he would be,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “He was moving and attacking offensively. And did a good job. He was a big part of us having that big second quarter.”

Batum entered at the start of the second quarter to a rowdy standing ovation that he called “special” and “surprising.” He credited the crowd for fueling his adrenaline and he wasted little time cashing in on the boost, scoring 26 seconds later on a driving layup.

He added an alley-oop layup and a coast-to-coast fast-break layup, and by the time his first shift of the season was over, Batum had finished with six points, one rebound and one assist. In 6:18, he made 3 of 4 shots, played stout defense — he appeared to register at least one steal that he was not credited for — and was part of a 17-10 second-quarter run that helped the Blazers pull within 41-40 with 5:42 left in the first half.

And as positive as all that was, there also was this:

“No pain,” he said, when asked about the condition of his surgically-repaired right shoulder. “I’m good. No problem. (I’m) going to be all right.”

Batum, who did not score in the second half, said he was nervous about making his season debut. He had doubts about his shoulder’s ability to withstand the NBA grind and jitters about playing in what felt like his first NBA game all over again. But he walked away from the Rose Garden relieved and optimistic.

“I wasn’t tired,” he said, referring to his second-quarter shift. “When they took me out, they said, ‘Are you OK?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m good. Leave me on the court. I’m all right.’”

So even though the Blazers endured yet another painful victory, courtesy of another late-game meltdown, Batum’s return provided one gigantic positive.

“Three months is long; 45 games is too long to be on the side,” he said. “So it was great to be back.”