The Portland Trail Blazers fell short of a comeback in a 121-118 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Portland was led by some strong play by Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara who finished with 25 points, 23 points and 21 points respectively.

On the other side, Scottie Barnes led Toronto with a 28-point performance. He was helped by the 23 points of Immanuel Quickley, who did his damage on 9-11 shooting and 5-6 from deep.

Toumani Camara finished the game with 21 points on 7-12 shooting and 6-10 from deep. He was the only Blazer that could consistently find the bottom of the basket from three-point range. In addition to the offensive contribution, he also was solid on the defensive side of the floor. He spent most of his time matched up on Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram. While Barnes was still able to find success, Ingram was relatively inefficient in the contest due to the defensive pressure.

Obligatory Deni Avdija mention: He was amazing yet again. A 25 point, 14 assist, 7 rebound game is not as easy as he makes it look.

The Raptors went on a 22-4 run to end the first quarter and start the second quarter. In a game that was relatively close throughout, that massive run to flip an 8 point Blazers lead into a 10 point deficit.

Although the Blazers put up a good fight until late into the game, they were not able to reclaim the lead after losing it in the second quarter.

Portland’s reliance on the three ball, especially when it’s not falling, is a tough watch. We saw what it could look like in the first quarter when the Blazers made 7 of their first 9 threes of the game. That helped them put up 39 points in the quarter, the most they’ve scored in a first quarter this season.

However, we also saw what it looks like when the well runs dry as it has so often this season. After the hot start, Portland made just 8 of their 31 shots from deep the rest of the game. A couple timely threes in the fourth quarter make the overall number look slightly more appetizing, but the middle stretch of the game was a rough watch as shot after shot clanged off the rim.

The Blazers continue their road trip with a matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night at 4:00 p.m. PST.