The Portland Trail Blazers gained a suspense in Oklahoma City tonight, taking down the Thunder 115-104 after a three-minute storm at the last minute saved them from disaster. You can get a summary of the action in our instant recap. Damian Lillard scored 31, excitement in the first quarter and in the desperate final minutes of the game. Here is this observation and seven more similar in our analysis of victory.
Superstar Chameleon
When you think you know who Damian Lillard is, he becomes something else. We’re all familiar with Lillard’s MO and skill set, right? Shoot three, score 30, gain weight at the end of the games. So, what did Dame do tonight? He came out tough in the first period, driving like crazy, scoring 12 in 6-11 shots with no three done. Lillard also defended strongly, providing the sharp edge of the attack that held Oklahoma City with just 21 points.
THEN Lillard scored four three points in the final four minutes, helping another two, to turn a game that the Blazers were, at that moment, losing in a decisive victory.
Dame can really do anything. Its special. Watch every moment you can.
Tiny ball
Enes Kanter is like a tree among the daffodils in the Portland formation now. While he is in the game, Blazers can cover his injury-induced lack of height. As soon as he leaves, the Blazers receive small. Forget the abominable switches that leave Anfernee Simons as the central protector of the rim. This still happens when the defense goes wrong. But it is not much better when the defense works. If Harry Giles, III and Jusuf Nurkic do not return quickly, it is likely to get ugly. Teams will be able to plan the game for Portland’s lack of height.
OKC did just that in the second half. They finished with 48 points in the painting. If they had managed to hit three, it would have undone the Blazers.
Simons says, give me the ball
Anfernee Simons hit three tonight, shooting 5-8 away for 15 points. but he did as well in the attack in the first half as we saw him. With Lillard suffering four fouls in the first two periods, Simons’ game was a godsend.
It seems that, by design or luck, the Blazers simplified the game when Simons is inside. When he handles the ball, he has some clear options. He really looked wonderful against OKC. He didn’t get direct assists, but he started playing, controlling ball and pace, instead of just shooting his (admittedly excellent) three.
Banco Explode
The Blazers played just three bankers for more than 3 minutes tonight. Carmelo Anthony scored 10, shooting just 4-14. He is in the “low” cycle of his year of ups and downs. Still, we didn’t spend much of the time when a bad game by a Portland bench player meant 0 points, not double digits.
Meanwhile, Simons shot 5-9 off the ground for 15 points, while Nassir Little hit every shot he took – including three three –by 13 points in 5-5 pitches.
Portland’s reserves are playing as if the green light has never gone out. Frankly, it’s a good look for them. “Carefree” can be a word for that. Refreshingly productive are two more.
All three, all the time
For better or worse, the Blazers bet everything on the three-point basket tonight. 47 of his 96 attempts came from a distance, almost 1 in 2 shots. They connected in 20, for 42.6% of the total.
The plan worked very well in the first half, when Portland was hot. It looked terrible most of the second when fatigue and a little bit of defense began to overtake them. But everything is fine when it ends well. Six made three in the last four minutes, leaving the game out of reach.
Tired in transition
The Blazers played (essentially) eight players tonight, in a fast-paced game on the road. AND THEN Lillard got in trouble. Their energy waned as the game progressed. Oklahoma City started picking up extra rebounds and going on the counterattack. Portland has done very well during this injury-filled period, but it may be time to start hoping for the All-Star Break to arrive soon.
Ripping and peeling
It didn’t necessarily appear in boxscore – Portland was credited with just 6 steals – but it became clear that reaching and taking your clothes off is a growing part of Portland’s defensive repertoire. All the little ones are trying to push the ball away. Since Blazers only have small weapons now, that means a lot of active arms.
This is not a bad thing. Forced turnovers are a benefit, but honestly many Portland players have trouble moving their feet and getting up in “D”. This is another option to involve them in some way in that end. The fouls will increase, but at least they are tracking the ball and not seeing it pass.
In recovery
Despite the minor lineup, Portland dominated the offensive glass tonight, beating Oklahoma City 15 O-rebounds to 7. Enes Kanter had a mammoth 7, but five of Portland’s top six players managed 2 or more. This became for the attack what the nudge is for the defense.
Excitement Reigns
The end of this game was as exciting as you could imagine. Portland opened up a big advantage, fell upside down on the scoreboard and then it rained several times to bring home the win. There was a good deal of excitement afterwards … not the celebration of the goal turn, but clapping and nodding. That is good. The posture in the final minutes of the game was absolutely professional. The Blazers seemed to know they could win, so they moved on. Don’t look now, but they are playing as a team that knows what it is doing. The confidence level is starting to rise. It is a good sign for the season.
Points Box
Blazers have no rest. They will face the New Orleans Pelicans tomorrow night at 5:00, Pacific.