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 10th-14th pick isn’t the worst thing either. We need talent at every position, so we should 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 you never know what might happen when you’re playing teams that have their seeds locked up.
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 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 hope he 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 game was great for Tisse to get back into the swing of things. 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 on Mavs, Suns, and Spurs watch with 12 games remaining in the regular season. Whichever team has the least freefall will 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 keep them below double digits somehow. One of the few stats from this game was that we never trailed, something we haven’t done much of the last few seasons. A great result at home when it mattered is a good proof point for this team as the season ends.
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, respectively. It’s excellent 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. He and Jabari have been two guys I’d love to see genuinely make that jump to be in the 8–9-man rotation. They are great spot-up shooters, but they could increase their tenacity and defensive prowess, which Chauncey is looking for from this team. He put up an unassuming 3 points during 21 minutes of playing time. Dalano 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)
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 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 would always be too much. 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