The Portland Trail Blazers did not have the luxury of a deep bench against the Washington Wizards, but in perfect irony, they won a victory by long distance shot. Using Damian Lillard’s gravity, the Blazers reached 21 points out of 3 points on their way to the much-needed 132-121 victory.
The Blazers must have known there was something in the air when Robert Covington, in the midst of the longest shooting drop of his career, opened a perfect 3 of 3 in the opening minutes. This accuracy proved to be contagious throughout the rotation, especially between the wings.
Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood combined aggressiveness with efficiency, adding 15 points in the first period. Even Carmelo Anthony rediscovered his touch, taking advantage of Davis Bertans to score eight quick points in that area in the middle of the post.
Portland’s effort in the group took the weight off Damian Lillard’s score, allowing him to concentrate on setting the table and even taking on the task of protecting NBA scorer Bradley Beal for some possessions. At the end of the quarter, Portland had a 17 point lead to show.
Long after his playing career came to an end, Gary Trent Jr. should have a sturdy pack of clips to show the next generation (hopefully the future Blazers legend, Gary Trent III). He opened the second room with an exciting mini-duel with the future Hall-of-Famer Russell Westbrook, matching him point by point (8 each) in the opening minutes before the Carmelo Anthony Show started.
It was at this time that Trail Blazers fans probably remembered that the Wizards also had that Bradley Beal guy. He is very good. In the attack, he and Westbrook helped bring the Wizards back into the game, accounting for 22 of the Wizards’ 40 points in the second quarter.
League Pass observers probably arrived expecting a battle between Lillard and Beal, but failed to respond to enthusiasm in the first half. Washington mistook defensive assignments at Lillard. But in what he lacked on the pitch, he more than made up for it in the charity phase, leading the Blazers to an 18-18 finish in the first half.
If I had to find a word to define this game, “spacing” would have to be it. Even though he had a sub-ideal shooting game (by his standards), Damian Lillard remained the most feared man on the ground.
In that third quarter, the Blazers opened a ton of sets that could be strong references. They used double drag screens to free Lillard, simple sets of two men where he is driving to one side, pulling a defense and going through the other, and even sets of “horns” that freed him off the ball.
The end result? 100 points. A free six-piece McNugget chicken meal with some time to spare in the third quarter.
We’ve probably said it internally before, but it has the potential to be a building block game for Blazers going forward. They resisted storm after storm, arriving with timely buckets to play to keep their distance against a never-say-die Wizards team just two nights before scoring 136 points in 39 minutes. And since this was their second game against each other, taking care of business was key.
Portland’s victory was similar to a box office movie. Almost everyone in the Blazers rotation had their “moment”, where they left a mark on tonight’s game. Unfortunately for Washington, Damian Lillard played spoiler, taking the game with balance. The Wizards certainly made it through to the end of the game, but Portland responded well to a mental challenge in tonight’s victory.
Other quick thoughts:
- Their warm start allowed the Blazers to dictate the terms, but even though they didn’t often jump to a 17-point lead, their agitation was the key. They forced seven shots in the first quarter, swallowed 14 offensive rebounds and entered the field, hitting 23 of 23 on the free-throw line.
- Carmelo Anthony overtook another NBA legend, overtaking Dominique Wilkins by 13th place on the NBA’s all-time top scorer list. Next stop: Oscar Robertson. Perhaps even more important than the points he scored tonight, Anthony was creative in how he got them. He made cuts, sniffed out incompatibilities and mixed catch and shoot opportunities with his trusted post fadeaways.
- It was inspiring to see Portland’s supporting cast beat those 4-on-3, when the Wizards would attack Lillard. To his credit, Lillard stretched his dribbling to give his teammates more space to work. But time after time, players like Covington, Trent Jr. and Hood made the right passes to define their teammates in those deep corners.
Points Box
What is the next:
The Blazers face the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday at 5:00 am Pacific.