The Portland Trail Blazers arrived in New Orleans for Wednesday night’s game against the Pelicans later than usual, with bad weather canceling their first flight. But, as the Pels learned shortly after, when the ball falls, the only moment that really matters is “Dame Time.” Damian Lillard designed an electrifying 43-point performance and 16 assists to help the Blazers win a 126-124 nail race, taking them to a perfect three-game position on the road.
From the initial tip, the Blazers didn’t look like the team in the middle of a competitive three-game trip; Lillard himself took responsibility, building a 13-point highlight coil for himself before the game first Commercial break.
While it was ambitious to say that Blazers were in Playoff mode, they certainly had that mindset. Using the Pelicans’ defensive switches against them and the attention that Lillard commands, Blazers routinely found combat they liked, put on their boots and camouflage, and went hunting. From Lillard dividing the defense into choices to take two Pelicans with him and kick them back, Portland ensured that the first quarter was remembered with a single question:
How do you make a team forget that you are the No. 29 defense in the NBA? Well you remind them that they are classified as No. 27, of course.
In a battle where the attack won everything, Portland overcame a balanced attack by the Pelicans and took a 35-30 lead in the second half.
The start of the second quarter had an old school vibe, with Carmelo Anthony and Zion Williamson pursuing the attack through brute force. The Blazers added yet another example of “friendly fire” – where one teammate inadvertently hits another – with Anthony and Robert Covington. It may not be anything worth monitoring, but it deserves a note, as does Lillard’s leg adjustment at the end of that quarter.
The six-minute stretch to open the second half, in a way, makes Lillard appreciate a little more. With him on the bench, the Blazers’ attack becomes a little more inefficient; they only added eight points, and the difficulty that the second unit sometimes has to score is palpable.
When Lillard was able to sweat the second time, the Blazers’ five-point lead turned into a deficit. Portland’s defensive moxie also betrayed them. The spins were a step slower, and the Blazers caught in the penalty limited their aggression. No advantage is always a lock with No. 0 on the ground, but the Pelicans gave themselves a chance to throw away the key with a 10-point lead at the break and outstanding performances from Williamson and Lonzo Ball.
In the Pelicans’ League Pass feed, Joel Myers offered an agonizing thought that predictably became the subject of the third quarter: “We must take care of this third quarter before we worry about Dame Time.” Lillard anchored a creative scoring attack where the Blazers scored in almost every way. They attacked offensive rebounds like hounds, kicking back to the perimeter for 3-point scores.
Robert Covington, who entered this game hitting 18 of his last 42 points out of 3, chose an especially ideal time to infiltrate. In this round, the Blazers did not rest Lillard at the end of the third, and a constant dose of: (1) aggression from Lillard and Anthony and (2) high fives from Zion Williamson on the bench gave the Blazers a slight advantage in the fourth.
Predictably, the start of the fourth period boiled down to a central question: could the number 15 Blazers bench score enough points to give Lillard a break?
The Portland bench was sufficient, but perhaps even more important, the Blazers fought a defensive attack that kept Brandon Ingram at bay for most of the game. With a mix of hard shows, a big one ready to crack down and offer a double on his drives and full length contesting his perimeter shots, Portland’s focus on him was hard to ignore in a relatively low-scoring final frame.
And not that this should be a surprise, Trail Blazers were well looked after on the other side of the track. On the Blazers’ last six possessions, Lillard had a 3-point basket, one and one, two assists and a turn that he overcame. The conventional three-point game gave Portland the decisive advantage.
Simply put, Lillard again put his mark on the fourth period. In the last possession, the Blazers contained Ingram in a possible opening kick to tie the game and left the Bay Area with a two point victory.
Points Box
What is the next:
The Blazers return to the comfort of their own home for a battle with the suddenly dangerous Washington Wizards on Saturday, 7 pm PT.