Week 22

A great week in the books as we inch closer to the 10-seed. Although figuring out how to get into the Play-In is the goal of this team, missing out and getting the 10-14th pick isn’t the worst thing either. We’re in a spot of needing talent at every position, so we can use the pick in a “best available” mentality. For this week, wins over Denver and Memphis were massive. The loss to Boston was expected, so going 3-0 in the other games was a wonderful treat. We’ve got a tough week ahead, but when you’re playing teams that have their seeds locked up, you never know what might happen.

Game #69 - 3/17 vs Washington (112-97 W)

A game that was competitive until halftime, was a blowout in the end. When the Wizards come to town, something that’s been the case for the last decade, you can almost count on a victory. Tonight was no exception to that as Deni now sits 2-0 against his former team. He only needed 27 minutes to make his impact. But the most impactful person was Matisse registering five of our 15 steals. It’s so great having him back as he adds so much on the defensive side. I would like to hope that him and Deni can combine for a great wing combo and let the likes of Ant, Scoot, Shaedon, and Clingan work on the offensive side. This was a great game to get back into the swing of things for Tisse. I don’t believe he’s on a minute’s restriction but having him get the reps in before the big “end of season push,” will go miles if we can sneak into that 10-seed.

Game #70 - 3/19 vs Memphis (115-99 W)

A much-needed victory over a playoff team came tonight. Although it was without Ja Morant, a win is a win. We are essentially on Mavs, Suns, and Spurs watch with 12 games remaining in the regular season. Whichever team has the least amount of freefall will most likely end up as the 10-seed for the Play-In. Tonight’s game featured predictable behavior from Deni and Ant, and productive evenings from Doup, Shaedon, and Toumani. As a team we shot just under 40% from 3-point and out rebounded the Grizzlies by 25, which is HUGE. We are still producing a lot of turnovers, and I think it would bode us well to figure out how to somehow keep them below double digits. One of the few stats from this game was we never trailed, something we haven’t done much of the last few seasons. A great result at home when it really mattered is a good proof point for this team as the season comes to a close.

Game #71 - 3/21 vs Denver (128-109 W)

No Jokic? No problem. The Blazers are taking advantage of games when opposing stars are absent, as seen tonight. Deni had a surreal performance scoring 36 on 12/16 shooting alongside 8/9 from the free throw line. Kris Murray and Scoot got to start, replacing Clingan and Ant, respectfully. It’s great seeing Kris get real minutes. As the twin of Sacramento’s Keegan Murray, he stayed an extra year at Iowa and got drafted by the Blazers in the first round of the 2023 season. Him and Jabari have been two guys I’d love to see truly make that jump to be in the 8–9-man rotation. They are great spot-up shooters but could up their tenacity and defensive prowess Chauncey is looking for from this whole team. He put up an unassuming 3 points during 21 minutes of playing time. Dalano definitely got more valuable minutes during the first three quarters of the game, but seeing Kris get the nod to start is sure a confidence boost.

Game #72 - 3/23 vs Boston (129-116 L)

Looks like we learned from last time when one of Boston’s stars was absent - Payton Pritchard didn’t go off tonight. Unfortunately, the rest of the team was too much for this Blazer squad. This wasn’t a matter of trying; it was a matter of losing to a better team. This Celtics team is just so solid. They can coast the rest of the regular season as they have the 2-seed in the East all but wrapped up. They aren’t going to catch the Cavs, and they would have to go on a crazy losing streak to succeed their spot to the Knicks, which isn’t going to happen. Although we had Ant and Clingan back, it didn’t affect the outcome of this game. Their firepower, camaraderie, and chemistry were always going to be too much. Just gotta move onto the next one and hope we can bounce back.

Record: 3-1 (32-40)

Next Week’s Games: 3/25 vs Cleveland, 3/27 @ Sacramento, 3/30 @ New York

Week 21

The rockiness ended, finally. The last few weeks we’ve played some tough opponents on the road, now we get to play some of those same teams at home. The last 14 games feature 10 games against playoff teams. Obviously that’s not ideal, but if we can win a few of those against teams who have clinched their spot on the playoffs it might help us out. Outside of the Blazers there were a few major things around the league. Steph became the first player to hit 4,000 threes, which is an insane number. Especially when you consider James Harden sitting second all-time in 3-pointers made, and he’s 900-ish behind him. Diana Taurasi announced her retirement from the sport of basketball as one of the best players to ever touch a ball. On 3/13 she held a press conference with the Mercury.

Game #66 - 3/10 @ Golden State (130-120 L)

A game that was consistently just out of reach from the jump. Man, Golden State just never seems to really die, do they? Since getting Jimmy Butler they’ve been monsters. They’re 11-2 since acquiring him at the trade deadline and have vaulted pretty solidly into the top 6. Unless Steph is out for the season, this team always seems to figure it out, which is frustrating. From the Portland side of things, Deni is so back. His absence last week was obviously missed as he produced quite a “do it all double-double,” scoring 34 points on 11/15 shooting and 5/7 from deep and 16 rebounds. Ant also put up a big night scoring 32, but the next highest-scoring guys were 15 from Clingan and 12 from Scoot. This was a game of catching a hot team at the wrong time. I think if we were to have played them a week ago or in a week it might’ve been different. But sadly, we were out matched from tip to final buzzer.

Game #67 - 3/12 vs New York (114-113 OT L)

Mikal Bridges is a bad man. This is a tough loss considering this game was within reach the whole time. New York has moments of being good, and although they have a higher ceiling and floor, Portland should have won this game. This isn’t the first time he’s hit a game-winning three with 40+ lead changes in OT. Yes, that is a sentence that now exists in the world. Back in 2023 he did it against Atlanta. The 30 points from Scoot, 27 from Deni and 21 from Shaedon weren’t enough to overcome this goofy Knicks team. KAT hitting a few threes late in Q4 didn’t help as the Knicks gained a decent lead with only a few mins left. But our defense is still playing really good so we were able to contain them in the end. Sadly, the switch Clingan needed to make onto Bridges was a little late, that ended up giving Bridges a good look at the top of the three-point line for the game-winner. This, like the Cleveland loss, are both great examples of learning opportunities for this young team. The foundation looks pretty set. Now we just need to find the missing pieces.

Game #68 - 3/16 vs Toronto (105-102 W)

Back to winning ways *massive exhale*. We’re doing the thing I previously talked about: beating the teams we’re supposed to and staying competitive with the teams we’re supposed to lose to. Toronto is playing to win when they should very much be losing for a better draft spot. I say that because this game was much closer than it should have been for the Raptors. They were leading 95% of the game until the end. Maybe they took a page out of the Blazers’ playbook from the last few seasons — playing for three solid quarters and then faltering late in the game. We had a bit more balanced scoring tonight with Ant leading the way with 22 points, Toumani with 21, Deni with 19, and Shaedon with 17. Scoot had a particularly horrendous shooting night only making 2 of his 12 shots from the floor. But the biggest news was getting Mattise Thybulle back from injury. Man oh man is his presence immediately felt when he’s on the floor. Absolutely massive to have him back in the lineup as we sit 3.5 games out of the 10-seed.

Record: 1-2 (29-39)

Next Week’s Games: 3/17 vs Washington, 3/19 vs Memphis, 3/21 vs Denver, 3/23 vs Boston

Week 20

What a week… ending a road trip with two losses to two good teams is what I expected, but was still hoping to win one of them. Especially, with some stars being sidelined. But the last month has proven Chauncey knows what he’s doing and that this team can compete. Espeically when Toumani wins Defensive Player of the Month. Have to believe the Suns are pounding sand for including him in the Ayton/Nurkic trade. But finally having a wing that can stop anyone is a blessing for the city of Portland. We haven’t had one is YEARS.

Game #62 - 3/3 @ Philadelphia (119-102 W)

Back to winning ways after a bummer of an OT loss against Cleveland. Philly’s only direction at this point is down, as they would owe OKC their 1st Round is top-6 protected. They currently sit at the 6th best odds for the #1 pick, so they’re trending the right direction, which means the Blazers coming to town and looking for a victory is good for both sides. Ant lead the way in scoring with 34 and Clingan and Shaedon both produced double-doubles. Overall, it was a solid team performance where we pushed the pedal to the metal in the second half, outscoring Philly 63-41. This was a great “warm up” for the very competitve game against Boston, up next. Although it seems unlikely we’ll win either of these games, it would be great to steal one from two teams who will be vying for a trip to the NBA Finals.

Game #63 - 3/5 @ Boston (128-118 L)

Honestly, lol. The fact we couldn’t stop the likes of Payton Pritchard and Derrick White is a bit sad, especially with our defense playing at a top-10 level. Yes, Pritchard might’ve had a bit of a “let me show up my home state’s team”, but no way did anyone predict an output of 41 points, 14/20 shooting 10/16 from 3-point, and 10 assists. The fact it was these two and not Tatum and Brown who are the first Celtics duo to score 40+ in the same game, is insane. Blazers put up a good fight with Ant scroing 30, Shaedon scoring 25, and Jabari scoring 22 on 8/8 shooting and 6/6 from 3-point. I love that he was able to get into a rhythm tonight and get it going. One of the things it seems Chauncey is improving on during his tenure is letting hot guys stay hot, even if they’re bench guys. Dalano was hot last week and Chauncey let it ride. Tonight, they kept feeding Bari and he kept making them. It’s giving young guys confidence and this team needs that since there are not a ton of vets present. Hopefully we can shake this off and put up a good performance against OKC.

Game #64 - 3/7 @ Oklahoma City (107-89 L)

Welp. Maybe the February magic ended last week. Or maybe, we just ran into a few good teams and it is what it is. We only had three guys (Scoot, Shaedon, and Ant) score double-digit points. While OKC had six guys score double-digits and Jaylin WIlliams recording a triple-double. This was tied for our lowest offensive total of the season, BUT we didn’t give up a ton to OKC which can happen with the way their offense is built. Sadly, this game didn’t feature Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, or Lou Dort. Another game against a top team resting some of their guys where we had a chance to upset them on an off night, and we faulter once again. This team is in the spot of “we can win this game even though we shouldn’t win this game,” and it’s been tough to see us put up great performances against good teams and lose. Tonight wasn’t one of those nights. If anything, our direction is much more clear and with a month left, we can still very much make the Play-In.

Game #65 - 3/9 vs Detroit (119-112 L)

What a frustrating game. I was fortunate to watch this one in person, and man it felt like we were out of sync the whole time. Scoot was losing the ball every fourth possesion for absolutely no reason. Jerami apparently only shoots 3s. And Doup seems more focused on making 3s than playing in the post. Fortunately Ant’s step-back and floater game is as strong as ever and we put up more than 110 against against a top-5 defense. Yeah ever game has some bad calls, but for a home team to not get a few in their favor late in a game, is a bit suspect even for a rigged officiating league like the NBA. It didn’t help Toumani and Clingan got into foul trouble with a decent amount of time left in the game, but this was a winnable game that we’d definitely love to get back. We were down the whole game and Chauncey got these guys back into it a handful of times, which is great to see. The hope is these kinds of game go our way next season. A small bright spot was Toumani obliterating Isaiah Stewart in the first half. Myself and everyone else in Moda was on their feet.

Record: 1-3 (28-37)

Next Week’s Games: 3/10 @ Golden State, 3/12 vs New York 3/16 vs Toronto

Week 19

What a start to a seven-game road trip. A week that should have come without a loss, they beat the teams they were supposed to and lost to a team they should have, albeit they should’ve beaten the Cavs. Chauncey, you have officially won me over for an extension. This is by far the most competent he has looked as a head coach in the NBA. He has these guys playing with a ton of heart and drive not to give up. This team feels like the season's surprise; if things keep going the way they are, we might have a chance at the play-in.

Game #58 - 2/24 @ Utah (114-112 W)

Once again, this team is showing their resilience. If this game happened last year, we would’ve ended up losing by two vs winning by two. Keyonte George had our number in the fourth quarter, but his three at the buzzer allowed Rip City to exhale a sigh of relief. Five Blazers scored in double digits, with Anfernee leading the way with 28. Although not boasting big numbers offensively, Clingan fills in wonderfully for Ayton. He had the second-best +/-, only behind Deni (unsurprisingly). He is the future of our frontcourt, and he’s starting to show why he anchored UConn to two straight NCAA titles. There is still a long way to go for him, but the fact that he’s fitting in is a great sign. He will be a force alongside Scoot, Shaedon, and Deni in the coming years. And if Chauncey is coaching them like this, we might have something brewing in Portland.

Game #59 - 2/26 @ Washington (129-121 W)

Lordy lord lord… Shaedon Sharpe is a bad, bad man. On top of a win and a Deni reunion in DC, Shaedon might’ve just produced the best dunk of the season. I want to apologize to Justin Champagnie for all the air time he will get because of this dunk. He is quickly answering all the questions people had about him during the 2022 NBA Draft. He’s long, speedy, makes good decisions, and has a flair for the dramatic. It would be hard to believe he isn’t part of the long-term future of this franchise, especially when he sets a career high in points (36) and the most for a Blazer off the bench since Travis Outlaw in 2007. This team is doing what I discussed last week - beating the bad teams. You can’t progress in this league if you lose to teams you're supposed to beat. Chauncey has this team in the right spot - beating those teams.

Game #60 - 2/28 @ Brooklyn (121-102 W)

Last season didn’t produce many comfortable wins, but tonight’s victory surprised a well-rounded team effort. Every starter, plus Dalano and Scoot, all scored double digits. Accumulating 31 assists is a monster night for us. We are in the bottom half of average assists/game, so seeing this kind of output is phenomenal. Brooklyn is a disaster, and there is no reason we shouldn’t have come away with a result like this and feasting on them from the statistical perspective. We shot 57% from the floor and 41% from 3-point. Somehow, we shot 59% from the free-throw line. That is so bad. It is a free, uncontested shot at the basket. How can we shoot so poorly from there? If we get into tight games and it comes down to making free throws, we might lose. This is a young team, but if we want to grow in the future, we must shoot in the 80-90% range during games. Even Brooklyn shot 85% from the line with the same number of attempts. I guess we have something to work on at practice as we gear up for a tough slate of games next week.

Game #61 - 3/2 @ Cleveland (133-129 OT L)

You can’t win ‘em all, especially when you have an 18-point lead late in the 3rd quarter. Cleveland is one of the favorites this season, and we pushed them to OT on their home court. That says a lot about this team. We don’t care who you are because everyone can be beat, and that lack of fear is probably what Chauncey is saying to these guys. Unfortunately, we got beat by the old UVA teammates in Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter. Jerome has been on a heater as of late, having scored 19+ points in 5 of his last 6 games. Hunter has maybe been the best trade-deadline acquisition of any team (outside of Luka) and has helped propel the Cavs to an 8-game win streak. There wasn’t anything substantial the Blazers could have improved upon in this game, as the stats were pretty neck and neck. The Cavs did make a few timely threes, but otherwise, they played tough, aggressive, and unrelenting. This is a good loss for this team because it wouldn't be a sweep if you were to play them in a series in the playoffs.

Record: 3-1 (27-34)

Next Week’s Games: 3/3 @ Philadelphia, 3/5 @ Boston, 3/7 @ Oklahoma City, 3/9 vs Detroit

Week 17-18

The win over the Hornets definitely swings the mood meter in a positive direction after the last few weeks. Obviously, it’s nice to get a win, but it's even nicer to set a few records in the process. There are only 25 games left in the season, and as lovely as it would be to figure out how to get into the Play-In game, having the 11th toughest remaining schedule doesn’t bode well for us. We shall see how things play out, but this team is still so fun to watch, and that means a lot, based on the last few years.

Game #54 - 2/10 @ Denver (146-117 L)

Welp… I guess we’re back to our losing ways, now having lost our last two games in a row. Yes, the Nuggets are an outstanding team with arguably the best player on the planet leading the way. But it is a bit of a bummer to have been sporting such good defense and then getting 146 slammed down our throats. This victory boasts their seventh straight win, so not only are they a good team, but they are also jelling as a unit. They almost doubled us in assists (a stat I care a lot about), which shows how much they were moving the ball, and they had 12 steals to our 4. These stats alone show the hustle they had compared to us. It wasn’t a boat race, though, as we were only down 9 halfway through Q3. This was tough for the Blazers to stomach, as they caught a hot team at the wrong time.

Game #55 - 2/12 @ Denver (132-121 L)

Wash, rinse, and repeat. Two is a coincidence, and three is a steak. So, we’re here again, wondering if any signs of positivity are a fluke for this team. We are only 4.5 games out of 10th, which, if someone said that at the beginning of the season, would probably be feeling about how I think - a hint of positivity. Sadly, this game was never really within reach, as Denver was ahead by 15-ish points the whole game. It was great to see seven different players score 10+ points, though. That means we have a good distribution of players who feel confident enough to score the ball or get the ball in the right spot to take a shot. To put us in the West's bottom 10-12 teams, I want to believe this is a slump. We are definitely beating some of the teams we should probably beat, and then we’ll occasionally beat a team we have no business beating, i.e., Milwaukee or Indiana. The All-Star Break came at a convenient time because we needed a bit of a refresh after losing these last three games.

All-Star Break

Honestly, LOL. The All-Star Weekend has quickly become the laughingstock of sports in the US. The fact the 4 Nations tournament is getting significantly more press and joy than the NBA is quite embarrassing. It doesn’t help that CP3 and Wemby were disqualified during the Skills Challenge. The All-Star Game itself has lost all meaning. MLB went through this a few years ago and figured out how to make it essential. The NBA needs to create an incentive that’s either a Finals home-court advantage for the East/West team or a monetary incentive. It’s genuinely a shame no one cares to watch these games. It doesn’t help when the face of the league, LeBron James, decides a few hours before tip-off not to play.

Game #56 - 2/20 vs LA Lakers (110-102 L)

This is a game we’ll want back. Although the Lakers were in control the entire game, we did catch momentum at the end, but LeBron’s 40-point performance and Austin Reaves scoring 32 was enough for them to hold on. Unsurprisingly, Deni leads the way with 28 points, with Toumani, Scoot, and Sheldon scoring 10+ points. It would’ve been great to have won without Luka on the court, but it wasn’t in the cards for us tonight. It seemed like the difference was rebounding, as we lost that battle 48-33. This Lakers team is interesting because, with Luka, they’re great offensively (defense is still a bit up for debate); without him, they’re a medium team. Who knows how they’ll finish the season, but they are a wild card for the playoffs.

Game #57 - 2/22 vs Charlotte (141-88 W)

Ohhhhh baby. Nothing better than a franchise record-setting margin of victory. I referenced this earlier in beating the teams we’re supposed to beat. Charlotte is trash and has no business competing with us. By no means do I think we should be winning by 53, but a double-digit victory feels about right. We had FOUR guys score 20+ points - Toumani, Ant, Shaedon, and Jabari - with a pleasant surprise from Jabari. This game put him over the 1k points mark. As a Bari loyalist, I find his growth and impact on this team incredible. Toumani tied the franchise record for +/- in a game with +45 (which is an insane number). On top of that, this game marked the 12th scorigam this season and the 3,157th unique score in NBA history. Why do we care? Unsure, but it’s fun to be part of history on a historic night.

Record: 1-3 (24-33)

Next Week’s Games: 2/24 @ Utah, 2/26 @ Washington, 2/28 @ Brooklyn, 3/2 @ Cleveland