The Portland Trail Blazers dropped a close game to the Charlotte Hornets in NBA action tonight, finishing on the wrong end of a 103-101 final score. Brandon Miller (23 points), Kon Knueppel (15) and LaMello Ball (14) had the most sting for the Hornets. The Blazers countered with 24 from Jerami Grant, 22 from Deni Avdija, and 17 from Scoot Henderson, but that didn’t add up to the right answer in this one. Following are a few observations:
Faulty Finish
The Blazers got off to a stellar start, leading 34-20 at the
end of the first quarter. They slipped a little in the second frame, settling for a 55-46 edge going into halftime. The lead was down to 4 points after three periods, and then the final free-for-all ensued. Unfortunately, the final result turned out poorly for Portland.
Banged on the Boards
The Hornets collared 52 rebounds tonight, the Blazers 42. Moussa Diabate and Brandon Miller came up with 9 apiece to lead the way for Charlotte. Donovan Clingan (11) and Robert Williams III (10) beat that, but the support from their teammates was a little lighter than required this time. Speaking of Donovan and Rob, the final score was unlikely to be as close as it was without the 7 blocked shots they provided (4 for Rob and 3 for Donovan). No matter how you stack up the numbers after a frustrating loss, you can’t help but notice that the Blazers have a combination at center that not many teams can match.
Deni From Three
Another promising note: Deni hit a three at the third-quarter buzzer, his first after 18 consecutive misfires. He followed it up with another early in the fourth quarter, a double play that probably created a sigh of relief from one end of Blazerland to the other.
Dame or the Game?
Damian Lillard was in the broadcast booth during the third quarter, and the commentators took full advantage of the opportunity. Unfortunately, the game continued in the background and it didn’t go well. Charlotte cut Portland’s halftime lead in half as the ball stopped falling for the home team and the stage was set for a disappointing conclusion. Nice to chat with Dame, but you don’t sell tickets for the interviews, fellas.
Up Next
The Blazers host the Utah Jazz Friday. The music starts at 7:00 pm, PDT.
