A bummer of a start to the week ended on a high note, as Portland will finish with a winning record (currently 8-4) against the state of California. This is massive when you consider the depth of the Western Conference. On top of that, Portland has won 10 of its last 13 games. For a team, a handful of games under .500 around Christmas, this is a big swing towards getting not just into the Play-In but vying for the 7 or 8 seed. Additionally, the Trail Blazers are trending as a “live and die by the three” team. This season, when they shoot league average (35.9%), they are 10-5, and when they shoot above their team average of 33.9%, they are 15-9. If we can start shooting from deep more efficiently, our defense can hold down the fort. This is an incredible find by Tom Haberstroh (Portland’s analytics insider) and something to keep an eye on the rest of the season. If we can keep this going, we’ve got a good chance at making a run after any deadline moves in February.
Game #41 - 1/13 @ Golden State (97-119 L)
Deni missed his first game of the season, and it was significantly felt. We had five players score double-digit points, but no one scored more than Shaedon’s 19. Nothing seemed to work for the Trail Blazers. Maybe it was the Warriors not wanting to get swept by Portland in the regular season. Or maybe it was the fact that we conceded 11 three-pointers in the first half, creating a 26-point lead for the Warriors. Over the last handful of years, the NBA has been notorious for squandering big leads. Tonight was not one of those nights. So much so that Golden State played 14 of their team-allotted 15 roster spots — unsurprisingly, Jonathan Kuminga was the lone absentee from the game. There wasn’t much to be excited about after this game. We lost almost every major stat except rebounds, committed 22 turnovers, and never led for a single second. After a frustrating loss to the Knicks Sunday night, this was about as “worst-case scenario” as you could imagine. And to think Steph Curry scored just 7 points and you lost by 22, seems inconceivable. All we can do is move on to the next game, a date with everyone’s favorite midrange shooter, the newly-acquired CJ McCollum, and the Atlanta Hawks!
Game #42 - 1/15 vs Atlanta (101-117 W)
The Rayan Rupert game? The young Frenchman we took a swing on two seasons ago was pivotal to tonight’s win. He was +22 in 16 minutes. Although he scored only 13 points, he was 5/7 from the floor and 3/4 from deep, with 3 steals. He was the third-leading scorer but contributed heavily to the 55 bench points needed to secure this win. The game was tight all night until the Blazers surged ahead in the fourth quarter with a 15-2 run, where 13 of those points were scored by bench guys. The Hawks made a bit of a comeback but ultimately fell short against the Blazers' stout defense, which allowed only 14 points in Q4. Shaedon led the way with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, followed by five other Blazers scoring double digits. Onyeka Okongwu was the scoring leader for Atlanta, draining 26 points, exceeding his average by 10. The Blazers were able to limit Atlanta’s biggest scoring threats, Jalen Johnson (23.3ppg) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (20.0ppg), to 12 and 11 points, respectively. This game offered an all-defensive matchup between Toumani Camara and Dyson Daniels, yet they both underwhelmed, with only one block or steal between them. But this was a great bounce-back win for Portland after falling short on Sunday and getting blown out Tuesday. Hopefully, Tiago uses tonight’s win as an example of how to lead this team sans Deni, and we can use this as momentum to get things back on track.
Game #43 - 1/17 vs LA Lakers (116-132 W)
LeBron James, Marcus Smart, and Drew Timme all scored 20+ points, but it wasn’t enough for the Luka-less Lakers in Portland. Shaedon led the way, once again, without Deni, scoring 25 points on 50% shooting. Jerami and Caleb both added 22 points apiece, while Caleb passed out 7 assists. After a burst at the end of the first quarter, the Blazers never looked back. Largely in part to LA committing 13 fouls in the first quarter, leading to 20 Portland free throw attempts. It didn’t get much better for the Lakers after falling behind by 13. They made a little run midway through Q2, but were still behind at the half by 10. From that point on, Portland never led by less than double digits the rest of the way. Caleb and Jerami were a massive lift, especially coming off the bench, with Clingan notching a double-double of 18/11 — providing a massive presence in the post against the Laker bigs. This is a great continuation of success without Deni. He’s our main guy, and seeing this team succeed without him is incredible. If we can manage these games while he’s out with a winning or .500 record, that might be the biggest accomplishment this team can achieve this season.
Game #44 - 1/18 @ Sacramento (117-110 W)
Going 3-0 against Sacramento isn’t something to gloat about, but this is a team that can’t guarantee a victory against any team. Especially a team that doesn’t have much motivation to win. Is that due to the competency of the franchise, or just the general makeup of the team? I think both answers are yes, unfortunately. But the Trail Blazers got their All-Star forward back from injury, and he scored 30 points while adding 8 rebounds and assists. Clearly, Deni doesn’t need much to get going, but his presence on the court opens things up for others. Toumani went a perfect 7/7 from the floor, scoring 17 points, and Shaedon added 27 points on 8/19 shooting. But the bigger storyline here is that Portland shot 88% from the free-throw line and only missed two in the fourth quarter. That is a massive improvement, especially in late-game moments, over their average this season. It’s something I’ve harped on all season. I don’t understand how the average FT% for teams isn’t in the 80s. It’s an uncontested shot. It’s like in golf: a 5ft putt is something pros make about 80% of the time. NBA teams should not have as difficult a time making shots that are the same from arena to arena. If they want to succeed the rest of the way, they have to have these kinds of performances. When you’re gifted 33 chances at free points, you gotta take advantage. This was a good example of how it should go vs. how it could’ve gone. Hopefully, we take note and make it a positive moment for the rest of the season.
Pinwheel of the Week
With Deni sidelined with his back injury, I almost selected Coach Splitter based on his ability to navigate our best player’s absence. But it had to go to Donovan Clingan. If you discredit the Warriors' massacre, he was the most stable player on the roster. He set the foundation for the team in the post, allowing us to out-rebound opponents 184 to 141 (+43). Not only is he setting the tone for Portland, but he’s leading all sophomore NBA players in the paint. He’s the big man presence we’ve been missing for years, and all we can hope is that this is just the beginning of his incredible career.
Record: 3-1 (22-22)
Week 14 Games: Thu 1/22 vs Miami, Fri 1/23 vs Toronto