The Portland Trail Blazers ran out of steam in Denver today, falling to the Nuggets 128-112 after an eye-popping opening salvo. Deni Avdija led the scoring for the Blazers with 23 points. Nicola Jokic had pretty much a typical day on the job to lead the winners: 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists.
It’s a miracle that Ball Arena was not evacuated by the end of the first quarter today. Both teams were on fire, one pretty much as expected (Denver came in with the best offense in the league) and one not so much (Portland’s offense ranks at the opposite end of the list). The score was 42-40 Denver at the first break. Both teams had 16 field goals and 7 from distance, including 4 by Donovan Clingan. The defense? Lost in the smoke.
Mediocre Middle, Dismal Finish
The Nuggets flexed their bona fides in the second and third quarters, pushing their advantage to 107-93 going into the fourth quarter. After their 40-point opening outburst, the Blazers scored only 29 in the second period, 24 in the third and 19 in a forgettable fourth. The Nuggets cooled off as well, but not as much. The better team won the game, but the Blazers are heading home with three wins in their last four games and post-season play directly in their sights.
One aspect of the Blazers offense that has been growing by leaps and bounds (literally) lately is the lob attack. According to the NBA’s advanced shooting data, the Blazers have attempted 132 lob dunks or layups this year (up from just 76 two years ago and with data curiously missing from last year), and it shows. Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III are the most frequent flyers, and several other players have become adept at setting the plate for these crowd favorites, especially Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson. It’s probably no coincidence that you rarely see the Blazers playing without at least two of this trio on the court these days.
One one hand, you had Denver center Nicola Jokic: one of the best players in the NBA. On the other hand, you have Blazers big guy Donovan Clingan: a second-year player who has been on a roll lately. This was heralded as a key matchup before the game started, so how did it go? Well, Jokic already had a triple-double early in the third quarter and his team won the game, so there’s that. Donovan rang up 18 points and 13 rebounds in response, but he was not alone. Robert Williams III played 19 impactful minutes, adding 16 points and 5 rebounds to the cause. Bottom line? The difference in this game was probably not at the center position.
A close look at the numbers from this game is interesting. They don’t really add up to a 16-point loss at first glance. The outcome appears to be close if you focus on shooting from distance (18-16 edge in makes for Denver), free throws (12 makes each), turnovers (11-10 Portland) and rebounds (45-42 Portland). But the Nuggets had more assists (37-31) and shot significantly better overall (54%-43%), two numbers directly related to each other. My take on all this? It’s tough to stop the best offensive team most of the time. Beating them requires matching them blow for blow, which is essentially what the Blazers did in the first quarter. You just have to do it all game long.
The Blazers head home for the second half of a back-to-back Monday. Tipoff with the Brooklyn Nets is 7pm Pacific.
