The Portland Trail Blazers went to Canada with a pocketful of loonies and walked away with a big bag of win, topping the Toronto Raptors 112-103. A 36-point third quarter where the Blazers shot 62% sealed the deal and Portland proved once again that having the best players tops having a deep team, even if neither of those teams are playoff-bound.
Speaking of the ‘yoffs, the Blazers are still mathematically able to make the postseason, but it would take a lot of chicanery from multiple other teams to make that happen. For tonight, we can enjoy a monster Shaedon Sharpe effort (see below), a “ho-hum” 26-15-6 from Deni Avdija, and 23 points from Dalano Banton.
Blazer of the Game
Shaedon Sharpe. In what was arguably his best game of the year, there were times that Shaedon Sharpe know he was the best player on the court. That may have been a simple matter of fact tonight, but even when it’s not, it’s so much fun and he’s so much better when he plays like it. He finished with 36 points, 6 boards, 5 dimes, and 2 steals with only a single turnover, going 14-23 from the field.
Stat of the Night
4,000 and 1,000: The number of career points and assists for Deni Avdija, milestones that were both reached in tonight’s game.
What We’ll Remember
Toronto spreading the love. The Raptors’ bench outscored the Blazers’ 23-2 in the first half, and by the time all was said and done, Toronto played 10 players and all of them had 14 or more minutes.
Crab Dribbles
Deni Avdija had 14 points in the first quarter alone, and Shaedon Sharpe had 20 at halftime.
Like many teams before and after, the Raptors were absolutely petrified of trying anything at the rim with Donovan Clingan there. On one third quarter possession, Clingan blocked a shot, then Toronto dribbled around the paint and even jabbed in and out, never fully committing to getting all the way to the rim.
According to Blazers stats analyst Tom Haberstroh, Shaedon Sharpe set the record for most points scored by a Candian visitor in Raptors history.
Unfortunately, both Duop Reath (knee) and Toumani Camar (left ankle) had to leave the game early and did not return. Rest up and get better.
Up Next
Dave Deckard will pour water into a large barrel, then spilling it downhill will trace the flow of the water to the millimeter. Using the x coordinate to indicate a new letter and the y coordinate to determine what that letter is, he will thus create your extended recap. The Blazers face the Bulls in Chicago for their fifth-to-last game of the season at 5pm tomorrow Fri. March April 4.