The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 115-113 in overtime at the Moda Center on Friday night. The win provided plenty of excitement for the crowd and also secured a 1-0 record in group play of the NBA In-Season Tournament, which is now actually underway. The game featured multiple swing moves, a lot of running, some truly terrible shots and a showcase of one of Portland’s brightest young talents.
If you missed the promotion, you can find our quarterly review here. After reading, take a look at some of the other key aspects of the game.
Defense is everything
Whatever reputation the Blazers had as a pure offensive team was erased in the first half dozen games of the new season. This incarnation is based on a simple mantra: defend or die. Portland did some of that in this case.
The defense in the first quarter was passable. Malcolm Brogdon and Matisse Thybulle improved the quality of play on defense for the starters. The Blazers looked solid, sometimes intimidating, when it came to the ball.
Speed is a huge improvement in Portland’s defense this year. Not only do you stay better with the dribblers, when help comes, it is there immediately. It’s amazing to see two relatively inexperienced but athletic defenders become a wall of intimidation to opponents. I love the helpfulness and the freshness of the movement.
However, this is where the story ends. The Blazers’ defenders aren’t nearly as good at recovering from the double teams they throw. When the Grizzlies found free passing lanes, their offense ran almost unhindered.
At the start of the second quarter, we also saw how completely the game collapses when Portland doesn’t defend. With Memphis firing shots on a semi-continuous basis, Portland lost most of its rushing attack opportunities. Their shots became difficult. They started missing. And missed. And missed. And missed. Bad “D” not only gave Memphis points, it also cost Portland all of its points. The Grizzlies reached +17 in just 7 minutes under these circumstances.
After that, the Blazers found defensive synergy again. Suddenly, they erased the Grizzlies’ lead and crawled forward again. It was further evidence of the binary state of Portland’s offense: all or nothing, based on the “D.”
The fourth quarter and especially overtime showed the strength of a fully equipped and ready Blazers defense. They weren’t perfect; Memphis still scored, often with simple shots. But nothing was certain. Portland’s defense was disruptive enough to make the opponent think twice, take advantage of the clock, and miss long enough to create rebound run-outs.
You don’t have to look long before you realize that as flawed as this roster may be in the long run, almost every moment of defense against them is better than the vast majority played over the last two seasons. If this was a focus this year, mission accomplished.
Shaedon Sharpe
Shaedon Sharpe led the Blazers tonight, from momentum-changing attacks to clutch free throws to a game-saving block at the end of regulation. He has already pushed the outer limits of his role. This game solidified it. Inconsistent or not, right decisions or not, Sharpe is determined to be this team’s go-to player on both ends of the field.
Sharpe’s defensive vision and effectiveness have grown exponentially since last season. His layups and the occasional three are the icing on the cake. This also applies to his death (if it works). He shot just 7-17 on his way to 22 points, but hit 6 of 7 free throws, just what he needed to score in an otherwise disjointed game.
Overall, this was possibly the best game of Sharpe’s career. It wasn’t his most productive performance, but he changed the momentum every time the Blazers fell behind. That’s a remarkable accomplishment for a second-year player who had little experience before entering the NBA.
Threesome please
The Grizzlies hit a couple of key three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Portland scored two goals in overtime. These important shots resulted in a series of terrible misses from both teams. Everyone had open options. Neither of them could detect any regularity.
Portland shot 9-32 from distance, a painful 28.1%. The Grizzlies were little better, shooting 10-35, 28.6%. Sharpe scored 2-5 from distance, Jerami Grant 3-7, with many shots coming in and out. The rest of the team shot 5-20.
Free throws
Sharpe saved the Blazers late at the foul line. Malcolm Brogdon shot 10-12 from the charity stripe, the only chance he could score reliably tonight. Overall, the Blazers posted a 28-36 record, negating Memphis and their 9-13 performance. This is the second game in a row where Portland has outscored its opponent at the line, a big turnaround from the first two games of the year. Stay tuned.
Take it with you on the run
It was a night of good news and bad news for the Blazers in the running department. They forced 12 steals, which was phenomenal. They also scored a whopping 21 points on fast breaks. However, they gave up 26 fast break points to the Grizzlies.
No stopping
One final, right-brained note. It’s impressive that the Blazers continue to bounce back from adversity, a quality no one knew they had. Memphis had let them down at least twice. After giving up big runs, the Blazers closed, ran hard and got back into the swing of things. They deserve great praise for this.
Next
Box score
The Blazers will face the Grizzlies again on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time at the Moda Center.
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