For the Portland Trail Blazers, late-game thrillers are becoming just another day at the office.
No matter the size of the lead/deficit at halftime. Or the quality of the opponent. Or who’s suiting up for
Portland’s MASH unit. Blazers games this season seem to always end the same way: a one-to-two possession battle in the final minutes.
Fool-me-twice shame for this writer and all others who assumed Portland’s home matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night would be any different after the Blazers led by as many 17 and controlled the game for three quarters. The night still ended in Portland’s 22nd clutch-time finish of the season — the second highest number in the NBA (only trailing the Mavericks with 26). And the night still hinged on a last-second 3-point attempt by Dallas, coming off the fingertips of one of the NBA’s all-time great shooters.
“Two hundred and twenty heart beats per minute,” Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter said after the game, an estimate for his racing heart rate after coaching through so many thrillers through the season’s first 33 games.
This time, with some poise, luck, and a whole lot of Caleb Love, the Blazers held on to down the Mavericks 125-122. The victory marked the Blazers’ second clutch-time win in two days after they defeated the Boston Celtics 114-108 on Sunday. The two-day stretch salvaged a five-game homestand that began with a brutal 0-3 start and improved Portland’s clutch-time record to 11-11. The back-to-back wins also offered evidence to the Blazers that those trials and learning moments through the season’s many heartbreakers are starting to pay dividends.
“I think we’re finally starting to learn,” said Blazers forward Toumani Camara, who helped Portland hold No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg to 15 points on 20 shots. “ … I think we’re improving. We’ve been through this situation now so many times throughout the season, so [we’re] able to adjust, [we’re] able to slow the game down and take care of every possession.”
Camara said that improvement is partly due to the team learning how to play with its new personnel, since injuries have forced so many new players into the lineup compared to the start of the season.
Insert Caleb Love.
The undrafted rookie on a two-way contract wasn’t expected to crack the regular rotation this season. Now Love has become depended upon as an everyday contributor and made the biggest plays down the stretch against Dallas. In maybe his best game of the season, the 6-foot-3 guard came off the bench and produced 24 points, three rebounds and two assists while shooting 53.3% from the field and knocking down six 3-pointers. It was the latest performance in a great stretch of consistency for Love. He has scored in double figures and made at least three 3s in four straight games.
“I’m finding my groove, getting more comfortable out there on the floor,” Love told reporters in the locker room after the win.
Deni Avdija was big-time as usual, leading the Blazers with 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Donovan Clingan was stellar with 18 points (on 8-10 shooting) and 11 rebounds. But it was Love who got the walk-off interview with NBC following the nationally televised game.
Love’s unconscious, quick-draw confidence has resulted in some rough games this season when his shot isn’t falling. But when he’s on, he’s on, and that confidence works like a superpower in high-pressure situations. Love showed that confidence — and the Blazers showed their poise — when they faced a 117-113 deficit with under three minutes left.
“There was no panic,” Love said. “We’ve been in those situations before.”
At that critical juncture, the Blazers ripped off a 7-0 run. First, Avdija attacked the rim for a layup. Then Love snatched the lead back at 118-117 with a huge 3-pointer with 2:31 remaining — part of his 12 fourth-quarter points. On the next possession, after a block by Robert Williams III ignited a fast break, Shaedon Sharpe finished a layup in transition to give the Blazers the 120-117 lead.
Then with Portland trailing 122-121 with under a minute left, Love came through again. After getting fouled on the drive, Love calmly hit two free throws to give Portland what would become the final lead.
“Like always, he’s not afraid,” Splitter said about Love. “Knocking down shots, opening up the paint for us, two huge free throws at the end, so he was tremendous offensively for us. And he’s trying hard on defense. Of course, he doesn’t have the size to be like a supreme defender, but he’s trying. He’s giving his max, and that’s what I like from him.”
“I shoot too many free throws not to make those,” Love added. “I shoot way too many. My Mama would’ve killed me if I missed those.”
While Love and the Blazers made plays on offense, they needed to get defensive stops, too. That’s where some strategy — and some luck — benefited Portland. Protecting that one-point lead with 53 seconds left, the Blazers chose to sell out to stop Flagg and Dallas’ driving attack.
On two straight possessions, Clingan sagged way off of Naji Marshall, a 31.6% 3-point shooter, to protect the paint. On the first possession, a driving Brandon Williams kicked it to Marshall in the right corner as Clingan tried to make a long closeout. The shot missed off the front end with 33 seconds left. On the second possession, Flagg kicked it out to Marshall for an even cleaner look from the top of the key with six seconds left. The shot missed off the back end.
The gamble paid off for Splitter.
“Marshall got an open shot over there, but it was a little bit what we would give up for those situations,” Splitter said. “And luckily he didn’t make the shot. It’s not ideal, but sometimes you’ve got to bet on something.”
After Sharpe made two free throws to put the Blazers up 125-122, the game then rested in the hands of a more capable 3-point shooter. Out of the timeout, Dallas sharpshooter Klay Thompson got the inbound pass in the left corner. He up-faked to get Love and Sharpe in the air, giving him a pocket of daylight to get the look off.
As the ball was in the air, Love — standing right beside Thompon’s follow-through — said he was praying for a miss. From the sideline, Splitter said he was begging for a miss. At the top of the key, Camara said time was moving in slow motion.
The attempt missed, and the Blazers got to hit the road with two big wins in a row.
[Thompson’s] a great shooter, and he can hit that shot with eyes closed,” Splitter said. “So a little bit of luck also is needed to win basketball games.”
