The stat sheet may only show four Portland Trail Blazers players in double digits that night, but contributions came from all over in a strong effort that was just missed.
The Portland Trail Blazers lost a close 118-112 game to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home tonight. The Blazers fall to 32-42 this year and are a day closer to being eliminated from play-in contention, while the Thunder improved to 37-38 and enjoy another day as the No. 10 in the Western Conference become.
Shaedon Sharpe and Nassir Little provided the heavyweight for Portland, scoring 57 points together. Keon Johnson and Kevin Knox II were the only other Blazers to score in double digits when head coach Chauncey Billup went 10-deep.
After a slow start, 2023 All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found his way to another 30 players, scoring 31 points on 9-17 shots from the field and 13-15 shots from the foul line. Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe gave him much-needed offensive support with 23 and 20 points, respectively, while Josh Giddey came on as a late substitute and grabbed 11 rebounds while dishing out six assists.
Without Damian Lillard, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers youth put up a good fight but couldn’t hold on to the early lead. Here are some key takeaways from the action, but first be sure to read Conor Bergin’s instant synopsis for a play-by-play analysis.
Coach Billups moves pieces on the chessboard
The Blazers came out in man defense, with Trendon Watford taking turns against Jalen Williams and Sharpe and Matisse Thybulle against Gilgeous-Alexander. Soon after, coach Billups would shake things up, deploying a 2-3 zone with Drew Eubanks playing high in the middle.
The Thunder played through the middle man as Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams sliced toward the center of the free-throw line, attempting to break or kick the defense themselves to open shooters.
Defense was a major catalyst in Portland’s early success. It got Gilgeous-Alexander working for all nine of his points in the first quarter, taking away outside shooting and helping the Blazers build a 37-25 lead after one.
For the rest of the game, Billups switched between man and zone defense on the fly, and whatever he used weakened over time. Gilgeous-Alexander soon took his places with ease. Jalen Williams also showed consistency from whistle to whistle as he was able to penetrate inside for hard finishes and also spot from beyond the arc where he made a perfect 2-2.
Although Billups shook things up, the lingering issues throughout the season were not entirely resolved. The shooters gradually opened up and turnovers appeared out of nowhere, especially in the second half. Apparently, these problems are a problem for the Blazers and not just the fault of their best players.
Award-winning supporting actors?
The Blazers might not have carried must-win expectations without their rotation heavyweights, but a win was still achievable. Nonetheless, the biggest evaluation was who could make a significant contribution in the rotation for next season.
Eubanks showed his defensive instincts are always on. He tied his season high with six blocks on the matter. Its ability to gain ground and protect the rim from the weak side will be of value going forward.
Sharpe has continued to mature and looks like a reliable sixth man for the immediate future. He drilled a bevy of step back threes, put down some electrifying dunks and found his own shot. More importantly, he didn’t fall victim to the many rookie mistakes he made earlier in the season, even if they didn’t show up in the stats. Despite suffering a tough finish at the end, he seemed like a player who was waiting for the moment to rise and wasn’t afraid of it.
Knox II had nine points in the first quarter and lost three trifectas. After being selected in the lottery by the New York Knicks, who came out of the University of Kentucky, Knox has been forgotten. However, he shot with confidence and showed an ability to hit contested tries.
Little continued to plead for a bigger role down the line with great play while Thybulle impressed with a 2-4 from the three-point line. Ryan Arcidiacono controlled the pace and recorded an impressive five-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio in 27 minutes, but failed to pick up the pace in favorable situations. Keon Johnson could play faster and shoot well from the outside and provided balance.
What happened on the track?
The Blazers had 100 points in the fourth quarter with just over 10 minutes left. After a 3:33 timeout to play, the Blazers had only seven points in the elapsed time.
Josh Giddey got free for open three-pointers, careless turnovers sank the Blazers and an unwise dribble attempt from Sharpe behind the back that came down the floor led to a steal from Luguentz Dort and a dunk to seal the game.
Throughout, the Thunder had a highway to the paint, and when Eubanks came out, Jabari Walker was able to catch offensive rebounds, but as a unit, Portland couldn’t prevent a fight for points-in-the-paint, which they lost 56-42. On the stretch, Oklahoma City’s toughness on the inside opened them up for long balls, which they hit. Isaiah Joe started hot and finished the same way, and his outside contributions were paramount in OKC’s victory.
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box score
The Blazers play the up-and-coming New Orleans Pelicans at the Moda Center tomorrow night. The Pelicans struggled mightily for the past two months without Zion Williamson in the lineup but have bounced back on a recent four-game winning streak. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.
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