The central question leading into the game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors tonight was which old Hawaiian proverb would be validated—three strikes and you’re out, or the third
time’s a charm. The answer provided by Portland’s 136-131 triumph was option #1 as the Californians collapsed for the third time in three tries against the Blazers this season. Following are a few things that caught my eye during the contest:
Front and Center
The Blazers got some good news before this game even started: Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III were cleared for action after being sidelined by injury or illness during all or part of the team’s three-game losing streak. Did it make a difference? Well, the losing streak got buried alive, so there’s that! Statistically, the Blazers won the rebound battle 43-36 with Rob coming up with a double-double off the bench (11 points and 11 rebounds). The shooters made a lot of noise in this one, but it had “fourth loss in a row” written all over it without the big guys.
Shaedon Was Sharpe!
Shaedon Sharpe isn’t the most popular player in Portland, but he was definitely in the right place at the right time tonight. And it wasn’t just the stats, although his numbers set the stat sheet on fire–33 minutes, 35 points, 12-18 from the field, 5-7 from three, 6-6 from the line, 3 assists and 4 steals. Asked about Shaedon after the game, Acting Head Coach Tiago Splitter underscored the aggressive confidence on display. Shaedon’s own description? “I was just hoopin’” and “havin’ fun with it.”
So Was Jerami!
Jerami Grant also burned the Warriors for 35 points tonight in 34 rough-and-tumble minutes, a quinella with Shaedon that I don’t recall ever seeing in a Blazers game before. Add Deni Advija’s customary 26 points to the mix, and you end up with just enough extra to go home happy. Well, for most fans, anyway–some of us are impossible to satisfy when it comes to Shaedon and Jerami, but my hat is off to both of them after the work they put in tonight.
Steph Goes Off Again
I doubt very seriously if I am the only Blazers fan who has seen enough of Steph Curry celebrating one of his successful three-point attempts. Unfortunately, that show is apparently not at the end of its run–Steph danced after 12 of his 19 long-distance shots (some from very long-distance) on the way to his 48 points. However, the number in his stat line that really caught my eye was his plus-minus for the game–a beautiful minus-8, which suggests that a couple of his misses near the end carried more weight than several of his makes posted earlier in the game.
Tank, Anyone? No, t`anks!
There has been a lot of angst within the fanbase these days, including on these pages, with thoughts of tanking this season already sneaking into the conversation. Spanking the Warriors again will no doubt do nothing to reassure the pessimists, but it says here that it should–the Blazers clearly can’t beat very many teams with only half of their squad available, but they routinely show the kind of grit that makes tanking difficult to achieve. Just adding a couple of players since the debacle in New Orleans was enough to change the outcome substantially. Get the rest of the gang back in action, and it will be harder to lose than to win in this corner of the NBA.
Up Next
The Blazers are back at it Thursday, hosting the Sacramento Kings at 7 pm, PST.
