During the half, the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers looked at the task of overcoming defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. If only NBA games had 24 minutes! After a second time of adjustments and ultra-aggressive defense, the Lakers managed a 102-93 victory. The defeat sends Portland to 18-14, and back to sixth place in the Western Conference standings. The bright side is that Portland has only three games left before having an entire week off to rest and recover. Not to encourage mediocrity, but in past seasons, being No. 6 and stepping into the water above .500 would have been a welcome sight for Blazers in the first half of a lineup. Right? In any case, take a look at the recap.
One would imagine that the Blazers were watching the tape of the First Round of the Western Conference last season during the flight to the STAPLES Center. At first, Portland seemed part of a team determined to take revenge.
They got a 15-4 lead, generating more sales than a bakery at breakfast time. Anchored by the contagious energy of Gary Trent Jr., they forced four awards in the first six minutes – that after forcing just a 48-minute turn on Tuesday against Denver – and that kept them away from the No. 1 midfield defense from Los Angeles.
How the stars were defended in the first quarter was probably the most intriguing story. After fighting to defend LeBron James in the postseason last summer, they had to draw inspiration from the results with Derrick Jones Jr. He made James’ life difficult, using his 7-foot wingspan and athleticism. At the other end, Damian Lillard appeared up to the challenge, with 15 points out of 5 out of 8 on the field. He pushed the Blazers to a 29-24 lead after one.
Basketball, as they say, is a game of chess, and it was at this time that Frank Vogel and Terry Stotts started moving their pieces. The Lakers appear to have taken a page from recent opponents’ book on how they defend Lillard. In pick-and-roll, they made a concerted effort to reach the dribble on their left, where it is most dangerous in pull-up situations, while also maintaining some size in their area. Always the creator, Lillard found other ways to “go hunting” for his photo – as CJ McCollum would say – with internal cuts and quick flexions in the transition.
Outside of that prevalent storyline, this game offered more positives in terms of developing Gary Trent Jr. as a versatile striker. He became Portland’s No. 2 producer, averaging 19.0 points in his last 16 games. He put the ability to score on all three levels on the tape, as well as to create his own shot.
The end of the second quarter was a test of resilience; Lillard was defeated in a shooter defense-under-the-ankle contest, and Jones Jr. and Robert Covington dealt with dirty problems. Even so, the Blazers had a slight 57-54 lead in the second half.
After spending much of the first half absorbing the best hay from the Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers opened the third quarter ready to send a message: in full focus, they are still the main heavyweights of the Western Conference.
Portland did not have an answer to the energy of the Lakers’ players, namely Alex Caruso, Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma. Two statistics in particular – points on turnovers and offensive rebounds – showed the disparity.
The Lakers had 20 points on turnovers and 12 offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. Because of this, the Lakers won the fourth by 31-19 and entered the fourth period with an advantage of 85-76.
If you’re looking for a quote or catchphrase that describes this game, stop me if you’ve heard it before, courtesy of ESPN Richard Jefferson: “They are going to need someone else to start shooting, because they are just adjusting their defense to stop Damian Lillard.”
The Blazers played with moxie, but, as Terry Stotts might say, Portland just wasn’t able to do enough. The attack was not very creative in terms of layout, except for a post by Lillard, but Portland had a chance to reduce the deficit. They used Lillard’s gravity on the pick-and-roll or double drag screens to stretch the Lakers’ defense, but were unable to throw a rock into the ocean.
All in all, this was the sequence of the game. It proved to be a two-tailed tail, in terms of how aggressive Los Angeles was in defending Lillard. In tonight’s victory, they made a statement: you cut off the snake’s head and the rest will not survive. They maintained one of the best teams in the NBA’s second half with just 36 points from that stifling defense. As tonight’s game shows, Portland may still have a long way to go to reach the top of the West.
– Damian Lillard’s ability to play through pain has become almost like Iverson’s at this point. It can be said that he was not the same after Talen Horton-Tucker stepped on his foot in his 3-point attempt in the first half. That he was still able to get the attention he did is remarkable. A few hops here or there, and maybe that will end up being a different game.
– Talk about losing at the wrong time. The Blazers’ 36 points in the second half tied with the lowest number of points of the season. His attack has not dried up by half since the January 14 defeat to Indiana.
– It is not clear who the finger points to first, but the Blazers could not find a way to score in the Lakers’ traps in Lillard, even when he was off the ground. The second unit combined 13 points in 16 shots. Doing one of them almost certainly changes the scenario of this game as well.
The Blazers hope to end the final round of the “first half” of their high schedule, starting with a home game against Charlotte Hornets on Monday, March 1 at 7:30 pm Pacific time.
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