The Portland Trail Blazers are struggling to find solutions right now. That reality stayed true on Friday night, as Portland got handled by the Los Angeles Clippers in a disheartening 119-103 loss at the Moda Center.
After the Blazers got off to a promising start and led by six at halftime, the Clippers dominated the second half. Clippers stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard dropped 34 and 28 points, respectively. Big man Brook Lopez dropped in a career-high nine 3-pointers and 31 points. And the Blazers dropped their
third game in a row.
“We stopped scoring,” Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter said. “All that good work we did in the first half — when we played fast and we moved the ball side to side — we stopped doing that. … We couldn’t get anything with quality.”
The Blazers righted the wrongs of recent poor starts by shooting out to a 12-3 lead against the Clippers. They expanded that lead to as large as 12 before settling into that six-point halftime advantage. Blazers forward Deni Avdija looked to be on his way to a statement game in front of the Amazon Prime national audience, living up to his new star billing with 17 first-half points on 6-8 shooting. Guard Shaedon Sharpe provided a smooth 12 points. The duo spearheaded a Blazers offensive attack that shot 60.5% from the field and 47.6% from deep.
“I felt really good with the start we had,” Avdija said. “We were engaged. We were locked in. It was big, big progress from a lot of [recent starts to games].”
All that good mojo screeched to a halt in the third quarter when the Clippers flipped the game with a 19-1 run. That helped LA outscore Portland 63-41 in the second half as the Blazers’ shooting cratered to 33.3% on 3s and 31.6% from the field. Avdija still finished with 32 points (on 10-18 shooting), nine assists and nine rebounds, but the efficiency dropped in the second half. He also racked up seven turnovers. Sharpe scored just four points on 2-10 shooting in the second half to finish with 16 for the game.
Meanwhile, Leonard and Harden used veteran guile to live at the free throw line, helping the Clippers keep firm control of the game. Any time the Blazers sold out to stop the duo, Lopez continued to make the defense pay from the perimeter.
“They just took over the game,” Splitter said about Lopez, Leonard and Harden.
While the Clippers had won two in a row behind the star power of Harden and Leonard, LA still entered Friday’s matchup with a rough record of 8-21. The game looked like a prime opportunity for the Blazers to get right after two heartbreaking losses before the holiday. Or at least, it looked like a more winnable game than most for the shorthanded Blazers. Instead of finding momentary relief, Portland sunk deeper, falling to 12-19 in a season that looks precarious as it moves toward New Year’s.
So what is ailing the Blazers? What solutions are out there?
Splitter said getting some guys back healthy, especially some point guards, would lend a boost. I asked the coach if Portland’s main issue was as simple as injuries or if there’s a deeper problem they need to fix.
“I think it’s the injuries, my friend,” Splitter responded.
Talk of injuries may be getting tiresome for Blazers fans. Some may view it as an excuse. But it’s hard to deny how much health has had an impact on Portland’s troubles. Splitter’s honesty about that in a sports world full of inspirational cliches makes that impact all the more apparent.
Scoot Henderson has been out all season with a torn hamstring. Jrue Holiday has been out since Nov. 14 due to a left calf strain. That means the Blazers have gone the last 19 games without their main two points guards, or a point guard at all, for that matter. Reserve guards Blake Wesley and Matisse Thybulle have both been out since late October. Now forward Jerami Grant has missed the last four games with Achilles tendonitis, further depleting Portland of any depth.
With all those bodies out, the Blazers have had to depend on large minutes from two-way contract players and deep bench pieces. They’ve also had to give huge minutes and responsibility to key players like Avdija.
“I definitely see progress,” Avdija said about the team’s growth during recent losses. “Everybody’s stepping up. Everybody’s playing. Everybody’s a little fatigued. We’re short on guys, and I think we’re doing a great job for the time being.”
From this writer’s perspective, both Splitter and Avdija are correct: Injuries are the biggest factor in this backslide, and the Blazers are doing an admirable job fighting through them, all things considered. However, that may not provide the most comforting silver lining because it’s unclear when that health problem will be resolved. The return of Holiday and/or Henderson would provide the biggest help, but updates from Splitter about their statuses have been vague in recent weeks, even as their timelines for reassessment have come and gone.
As the remaining Blazers try to keep the ship afloat until reinforcements return — whenever that may be — they’re holding onto the idea that it doesn’t take long to turn a season around.
“He’s definitely a great leader, and I think he keeps us all together,” Avdija said about Splitter. “He keeps our energy up. He keeps our vibe up. He lets us understand that it’s a long season, and we might be losing a couple of games, but it doesn’t matter. We can go on a good run, on a good winning streak and try to turn a corner.”
