In a Thursday night game that secured an astonishing sweep of the season, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 118-114. Damian Lillard was Portland’s top scorer with 30 points, 19 of them in the first quarter. Carmelo Anthony was the hero in this, however, scoring 24 points, 17 of them in the last quarter. Gary Trent Jr. also scored 19 points.
The Sixers also had their fair share of scorers. Joel Embiid had 35 points, while Ben Simmons had an almost triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
First quarter
Three were falling too early for Portland. Not all opportunities were easy to catch and shoot. They did five of the top six, and all came from pull-ups by Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr. Eventually, other players joined in on the fun too. Derrick Jones Jr. had a three-par corner! But something that has bothered Portland this year is the hot firing spots being overridden by the mediocre defense. Some things were unavoidable – like Joel Embiid drawing fouls in post-ups – but when you’re climbing the screens while protecting Seth Curry, you’re not playing well. Ben Simmons also posed a confrontational problem with his size, moving quickly on the track for easy shots. Portland hit eight trios, but they only led 37-36 after one.
Second bedroom
Philly did a good job of attracting Portland to some silly fouls. Embiid is already a master at this, but even Tobias Harris took action by making seven free throws at halftime (the team made 17 out of 20 at halftime). It was a difficult thing that kept the Sixers going, but the good news was that Portland expanded its leadership with the second unit. With Rodney Hood designated as the main ball handler, Portland did well. He worked his way to the post many times against smaller players and scored efficiently within most of the quarter. But Embiid was too much. He was 15 on Monday for just working at the post. Harry Giles committed four fouls in the first half and Enes Kanter had a huge cut in his eye, so let’s just say that the posting options were … limited. Embiid managed a 63-60 lead in the interval at six.
Third quarter
The dynamic Philadelphia duo, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, caused Portland so many problems in the third. Embiid was just Embiid; it didn’t matter who Portland put him in the post, because he could just hammer them to death. When he’s not doing that, he’s just picking up easy mid-range jumpers that make it impossible to protect. Simmons is also faster and bigger than everyone else in the Blazers and exposed Portland easily when needed. Gary Trent Jr. finding his way again helped Portland in the third. Again, his self-creation has been a big part of Portland staying afloat despite his injuries. But Portland’s defensive struggles allowed Philly to maintain a 93-89 lead at the end of the third.
Fourth trimester
So, um … how do you analyze Carmelo Anthony just deciding that he will make each attempt? He hit three of them in the first four minutes, and they were the three Melo most trios of all time: Pushups without any thought. He scored 17 points in the fourth and only seven of those points came in kicks that made sense! It helped that Embiid finally started fighting, leveling the playing field too much for Portland. But the real highlight of this room was Portland’s last move. With the Sixers doing everything they could to keep Lillard from catching the ball, Melo scored for Robert Covington. Lillard set up a screen to create just a small separation for Anthony curling, and the vet took Tobias Harris’ foul. Two free throws. Blazers lead. Covington got the theft that sealed the game, and the Blazers won 118-114.
Overcoming incompatibilities
Do you know what I liked most about this victory? The fact that the Sixers brought Ben Simmons back to the team and Portland still won. Sure, the Blazers had Damian Lillard back and the Sixers, for some reason, have in their team status that they are not allowed to make three against the Blazers (six out of 27 tonight), but even with Lillard, Philly is a confrontational nightmare, theoretically.
Sometimes it looked like it was going to end badly. Portland needed to make more than 80% of their trios just to keep Embiid and Simmons away by a point after the first quarter. The Australian even made a final shot for Lillard basically impossible. Despite everything, Portland persevered and found a way to win. It was a courageous victory for the Blazers.
Stay Me7o
What a game by Carmelo Anthony. After his move was almost level with the course, he simply exploded. It is difficult to know what to really do with it. We saw the resuscitation of the Melo peak for a short period. This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but Anthony won some hyperbolic praise tonight.
The best part was Melo getting into the rhythm by draining those first three. That’s when he’s at his best for Portland. Entering this game, he was shooting 48% over the three-point line in the fourth half. When Iso Melo decides to go to the post, that team hurts. When he does this in three (or rather, just positions himself in the corner), then it is much better. The more he is doing his “Three for the Dome” celebration, the better.
Gary Trent Jr. does it again
I touched on that a lot in previous recapitulations, but it is worth noting again; Gary Trent Jr. is creating good photos for himself. It wasn’t always the most efficient last week, but this game showed how good it is when it keeps pace. His particular three-step-back is a useful tool that he pulls out of his purse apparently at will. Most importantly, it gives Lillard some help with scoring in the starting lineup. I want to see Trent continue like this, even when CJ McCollum returns.
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The Blazers will not wait long for the next game, as they face the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow at Moda Center. The complaint will be at 7 pm Pacific time.