All good things come to an end, as did the Portland Trail Blazers’ season-starting winning streak on Thursday night. The Memphis Grizzlies walked into town undefeated and left the same way, courtesy of some really nice defense plus injuries to Portland rotation stalwarts Robert Williams III and Ja Morant. The first half of the contest was a virtual deadlock, but things stalled offensively for the Blazers in the second while the Grizz went on a rampage. The final result was a 124-103 win for Memphis.
It was the first loss of Portland’s campaign.
Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 24 points, but he was the only Portland player to top 20. Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Stewart paced Memphis with 18 each.
Here are some observations from the evening.
Defensive Commitment (Sometimes)
Head Coach Micah Nori (and/or the Blazers veterans) must have gotten to the roster between there last, defense-free game with the Los Angeles Lakers and this evening. The very first thing you noticed about the Blazers was that they got back in transition, disallowing fast break points. They committed to stopping easy buckets, a commitment that sustained them even though their own offense was not pristine tonight.
That lasted exactly two quarters, though. In the second half, Memphis ran Portland ragged. They finished the game with 23 fast break points, one more than the Lakers in that ill-fated game on Tuesday. It’s back to the drawing board, or at least a rewrite of the halftime speech.
Portland’s semi-commitment to stopping easy buckets extended to the paint as well. Donovan Clingan patrolled the middle in a way he hasn’t shown yet this season, stuck playing teams with mobile, rangy centers. Zach Edey does not count as one of those. Able to stay in the lane defensively, Clingan amassed 5 blocks. The Blazers held the Grizzlies to a minimum of inside buckets points.
But that trend lasted just as long as the other. Memphis finished the game with 50 in the paint, courtesy of a second-half barrage. Obviously that wasn’t close enough to keep Portland competitive.
The catch was, committing to stopping the Grizzlies inside exposed the Blazers at the three-point arc. Memphis fired 43% from distance, keeping over 40% steadily the whole game long. The vulnerability of Portland’s guards and the overtaxing of the forwards on defense really showed in this one. Over the course of time, this may become a concern for the team.
Threes No Help
Speaking of those threes, the Blazers didn’t fare well in that department, shooting just 12-49, 24%. Damian Lillard shot 1-9, Scoot Henderson 1-5, and Deni Avdija 1-4. That left a fairly serious discrepancy between the teams—18 extra points for Memphis beyond the arc—a tough problem for Portland to solve.
One bright spot: Donovan Clingan looks so confident on his open threes now. This has truly become part of his game. He’s not a pure shooter by any means, but when opponents leave him wide open, you can almost see him smirk and say to himself, “Bad idea…” Clingan was only 1-3 tonight but seriously, you don’t mind those shots now.
Free Throws
Returning to inside play, the Blazers put plenty of pressure on Memphis’ defense by refusing to take random shots, penetrating consistently and consciously. A 26-12 free throw advantage was a huge indicator. Unfortunately, Portland only hit 65% of their foul shots, leaving points on the table. Their 14-shot edge produced only 5 actual points.
Morant Midrange
Ja Morant has so many wrinkles to his offensive game, he might as well be a bulldog. His mid-range and short-range pull-ups are masterful. When his teardrops fall, Morant is nigh unstoppable. Defenders have to retreat all the way to the rim to stop layups. That often leaves Ja 5-8 feet from the hoop and not a defender within arm’s reach.
Just as the good news started rolling, though, Morant came up hobbled with what was later reported as a left hamstring injury. He played only 23 minutes. We’ll have updates on his status as they become available.
Without crunch-time redemption, Morant’s final stat line looked muted: 14 points and 3 assists on 6-14 shooting. But that beat Lillard’s 9 points on 3-13. It wasn’t the greatest night for Portland’s starting guards.
Turnovers
An old problem is starting to rear its head for the Blazers. They’re turning over the ball a bit too often, especially in the halfcourt. Their sets aren’t bad. They’re just dribbling into too many tight situations, almost as if they’re running plays regardless of defense instead of taking what defenders are giving them. Portland had 16TO’s tonight for 23 Memphis points.
Sidy Pretty
We’ve been praising Portland’s bench much of the season so far, but they had a rough night tonight. They ran negative plus-minus rates across the board, and that was true even before the disastrous second half. Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson shot 5-15 between them. No bench player scored in double figures. The group of 9 players committed 10 turnovers, grabbed only 15 rebounds, and generated just 8 assists in 101 combined minutes.
One bright spot, at least in energy output, is Sidy Cissoko. He had 4 points, 6 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 assists, and a steal in 19 minutes but the boxscore isn’t going to reflect his hustle and commitment to making plays happen. A defensive lunge here, an offensive board there, and the willingness to take the shot when he’s open. You can’t ask much more from a lower bench player than Sidy is giving right now. What a pleasant development early on.
Up Next
Boxscore
The Blazers now travel to Salt Lake City for a noon tilt with the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
