A late arrival, the second game of a tough back-to-back and carrying three consecutive losses on your back all added up to a pleasant surprise for the Portland Trail Blazers against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. The Blazers came up with another scrappy effort to end up on the right end of a 122-110 final score. Deni Avdija led the way for the visitors with 27 points, Donovan Mitchell countered for Cleveland with 33.
Jerami Grant and Shaedon Sharpe have been following each other around this season. Shaedon started when the season began and Jerami came off the bench. Now it’s the reverse. In this game, they went side-by-side to notch the win–Jerami with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and Shaedon chipping in with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. That adds up to a full day’s work and a job well done!
Free throws are quite possibly the most misnamed statistic in the game. They are anything but free–just ask Deni Advija what it costs to get them. But it was a price the Blazers were more than willing to pay in this game. They attacked the rim relentlessly and ended up with a 34 to 21 advantage from the foul line, Deni leading the way with 16 in 17 tries.
Donovan Mitchell opened the game on fire and his team came right with him–the Cavs made their first six shots and led 15-7 when the Blazers called time out to regroup. Mitchell ended the quarter with 14 points but his team was down 36-33 by then, thanks to eight different Blazers lighting up the scoreboard.
Also very noticeable tonight? Toumani Camara, who has been firing threes like they are free throws of late. This time out he buried 3 of 5 from the outer reaches of the Rocket Arena, including one that slammed the door at the end.
The Blazers hit the court again in Detroit for a Friday fray versus the Pistons. Game time is 4:30 p.m., Pacific.