Fighting through injuries, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Sacramento Kings 115-106 at Moda Center on Friday night in front of a Thanksgiving holiday crowd. The contest carried some extra weight to it since it was an Emirates NBA Cup game. The Blazers may not have a title-contending team this season, but they are still alive for a wildcard berth into the knockout stage of the NBA Cup.
Because of injuries to rotational players Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Robert Williams, the Trail Blazers had a slow start against the Kings. The pace was fast and the Blazers were having problems finishing at the rim. Maybe it was all the turkey and stuffing, but it felt like the Kings were going to run away with the game. Then Deni Avdija decided to make tonight’s game his signature moment with the Blazers. With Grant injured, Avdjia got the start and set the tone with his aggressive drives, passing, and three-point shooting. The rest of the team fell into line and carried it home for the win, weathering a slow start from Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe.
Deandre Ayton played one of his best games of the season, finishing with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Dalano Banton led the bench scoring with 17 points, going 3-6 from three-point range.
The Blazers have had an up-and-down season but have played their best games at home in the NBA Cup. It’s hard to get a good read on this team with all the injuries forcing different lineups every night, but the eye test tells you that there is something cooking in Rip City.
MVP of the Game
Avvdija got the start in place of the injured Grant and made the most of his opportunity. It seemed like he was auditioning for the future starting four spot if Grant is traded this season. If that were to happen, the Trail Blazers offense would see an uptick in playmaking and assists. Grant is a tremendous offensive player, but the ball tends to stop with him. He usually makes the most of his opportunities but the rest of the team stops and watches.
Tonight with Avdija at the helm, the team dished out 27 assists (15 of those coming in the first half). The Blazers average only 21 assists per game on the season which is the second lowest in the league. Avdija did a great job tonight forcing the action and looking for teammates. There was a play with 3:10 left in the second quarter when Avdija threw a laser to Sharpe for an easy layup on the break. It was a high degree of difficulty pass. It also got Sharpe going offensively after not scoring in the first quarter.
Avdija finished with 20 points, going 4-9 from deep, with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block in 37 minutes. He brings a different flow to the Blazers’ offense.
Forcing Turnovers
The Kings have been struggling this season, but they still have one of the most lethal offenses in the NBA. The Blazers took on the challenge and locked them down. Portland forced Sacramento into 14 first-half turnovers and 20 total for the game. Led by Toumani Camara and Banton, the Blazers were active in the passing lanes and never allowed the Kings to get easy buckets. Banton would set a career high with 5 steals. If the Blazers can deploy this type of defense every night, the offense will start to get better. The team tends to stall when their opponents can set their defense, but when they are in the open court, the Blazers are deadly.
Pick-N-Roll
The Blazers treated tonight like a playoff game. Once they weathered the frantic pace to start the game, the team slowed things down and worked the pick-n-roll. Avdija and Ayton were the main attraction to this show, but Simons started to cook in the second half as well. Down the stretch, the Blazers put two shooters in the corner, kept a release valve at the high post, and let the pick-n-roll shred the Kings defense. Once Avdija or Simons turned the corner, it was checkmate. You don’t want to use this offense every quarter, all season long, but when it comes down to crunch time, the best teams are the ones who can execute the pick-n-roll.
Under Pressure
The Blazers were outscored in transition tonight 8 to 14 and only shot 29% from three-point range. Usually this would be a recipe for disaster. Despite these negative stats, they won comfortably. Why? The answer comes down to pressure. Portland forced mismatches and creating easy baskets at the rim. Even though the team shot poorly from deep, they still managed 51% from the field with 64 points in the paint. Contrast that to the Kings scoring 34 points in the paint and you’ll see why the Blazers pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Turn of the Tide
Early in the second quarter, the Blazers were still struggling to find rhythm and effort. Enter Jabari Walker. Walker has been struggling this season, honestly not really seeing much playing time. Portland has a logjam at the forward/center position and Walker has been at the wrong end of the rotation. But tonight, when his number was called, he was ready to go.
At the 10:42 mark of the second quarter, Walker grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. On the next defensive possession he battled veteran Jae Crowder for a rebound, drawing a loose ball foul. He immediately followed that up with another offensive rebound/hustle play and an assist to Kris Murray for an easy layup. That entire sequence took less than 40 seconds, but in my opinion turned the tide of the game. Shortly after, the Blazers would take the lead and never look back. Walker played only 10 minutes, but he made the most of his opportunity.
Up Next
Boxscore
The Blazers will welcome the Dallas Mavericks to the Moda Center on Sunday evening at 6:00 PM, Pacific.
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