If you saw the Blazers’ alert time of 4:00 p.m., looked out the window, and took a stroll outside to enjoy the 70+ degree sun, consider this your official notification from Blazer’s Edge that you’ve caught the right decision. Portland played very well and yet lost by 19, 126-107. Without some hot shooting from the Blazers in the first three quarters, the score would likely be much worse. But the Pelicans got back on defense in the fourth and Portland had no answer.
Anfernee Simons, who failed to make her scoring attempt during a herculean fourth quarter, still finished with 25 points and 8 assists. Deandre Ayton was his usual self recently, contributing 20 points and 8 assists. Did you know that, following the enthusiasm generated by his play, Ayton actually on average a double-double in two seasons, including last year alone? So tonight was slightly below his own standards. Another solid night.
But if you like seeing old Blazers, tonight was Creamsicle night. Well, provided you like Creamsicles, of course. CJ McCollum had a great game, scoring 30 points on 12-20 shooting, including 50% from three. A gamey Cabernet Sauvignon.
Variations on a theme
If you’ve seen the Blazers’ previous five losses, you can paint the colors of the picture without needing the numbers. The Blazers fought hard, played with a lot of energy, but were clearly less talented than the Pelicans. Zion Williamson’s 26 points and 10 rebounds hammered home that point.
On the second straight night at home, the Pelicans looked sluggish in the first half of the game, in direct contrast to the Blazers’ recent energetic and frenetic approach. In a recurring theme of this recap, New Orleans was counting on being simply better than the Blazers. Longtime Blazers fans remember those era games (with Brandon Roy and Damian Lillard) where their team was relevant: keep the game close, wait for the game to count in the fourth, and dial it in on both ends to win a victory. Exhale, forget about the game ten minutes later and move on to the next opponent. Unfortunately, the Blazers are on the other side of this equation for the first time in a long time.
The stat that defined the game
The Blazers shot 50% to New Orleans’ 53.6%, which included a nearly identical performance from three (12-33 for POR and 13-33 for NOP). Portland got two more free throws than the Pelicans. So how did this turn into a 19-point loss for the Blazers?
Sales figures.
Portland’s 20 turnovers doubled New Orleans’ total and contributed directly to the Pelicans’ 13 additional FG attempts. Combined with a slightly higher FG%, New Orleans made 10 more shots. In a season marked by offense, the Pelicans’ defense made all the difference.
Sometimes the reasons for a victory or defeat can be complicated. It wasn’t one of those nights.
Two children with different expectations
It’s a good night to highlight Scoot Henderson and Dalano Banton. Their stories are well-known to Blazers fans: Scoot is the huge draft pick who should have a high ceiling. Banton was essentially dumped by his second team in two years (Toronto and Boston), both of whom have strong development and evaluation systems.
Scoot, with a minutes restriction, quietly played the point unevenly, but well. He scored 11 on 8 shots. He only had 2 assists, but also had 2 steals and a block. He had 3 turnovers against a solid defense. He finished with 2 personal fouls, reflecting the officials’ clear decision to allow physical play; during an evening of ticking, he would commit 5 mistakes. But that’s because he gives his all defensively, even if he’s imperfect, which is commendable in itself.
Banton had a busy three quarters of play. He scored 28 on 20 points, including 4-8 from three. He also delivered 6 assists. However, much like Scoot, he was thoroughly harassed by the Pelicans D, with 5 turnovers. He also couldn’t start the fourth quarter once New Orleans turned up the defensive dial to, say, 8 of 10. He finished with 0 fouls. This reflects his work on the defensive side.
Banton played like he was walking into the locker room to find Alex Horne and a white envelope: “Your task tonight is to be very visible on offense, and yet completely invisible on defense; bonus point if you can then be invisible on offense in just the fourth quarter.”
Given that Banton is four years older than Henderson, it reminds us that the NBA isn’t about overnight success for most players. Additionally, even being very good on offense isn’t enough to make the rotation successful on a team whose expectations aren’t tanks. You need to consistently be close to elite on offense to compensate for defensive limitations, if you want minutes that count in the league. The jury is still out on whether Scoot and Dalano will ever get significant minutes. But Scoot’s willingness to focus on defense is a worthy task and can cover up some offensive sins as he develops.
Video Highlights
And after
A welcome day off for the Blazers, who return to Chicago on Monday night, facing the Bulls at 5:00 p.m. PDT.
