The Portland Trail Blazers passed the biggest test of their season tonight, clipping the Los Angeles Clippers 114-104 in a game that wasn’t anywhere near as close as those numbers might suggest. The leading scorer for the Blazers was Jrue Holiday with 30 points, followed immediately by Deni Avdija with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 23.
Following are a few observations from the game:
Before the tipoff, everyone everywhere seemed convinced that Clippers megastar Kawhi Leonard was going to be the best player on the court. After the game? Maybe not. Don’t get me wrong, the dude can play: he clocked his 52nd consecutive game with 20 or more points scored. But Portland’s Jrue Holiday was also in this game, and he did something that almost never happens. He made one of the Peacock announcers sound smart. Derek Fisher said of Jrue early in the second half, “You can’t teach experience.” Whereupon Jrue came up with clutch play after clutch play down the stretch on his way to 32 minutes, 10 for 21 from the field, 7 for 15 from deep, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
The Blazers opened the game with all three of their primary playmakers on the court for the second straight game: Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. They made their presence felt immediately, combining for 73 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists against a tough opponent. Starting this combination of players is partly a result of the injuries to Jerami Grant and Shaedon Sharpe, but the lineup might hold even if either or both of those players return before the Play-In games.
The Blazers turned the ball over 14 times tonight, but so did the Clippers. Apparently giving the ball away doesn’t hurt quite as much if you take it back (8 steals for the Blazers, including 3 by super-disruptor Matisse Thybulle). Another way to limit the damage? Pound the other guys on the boards, which Portland did again tonight (48 to 30, offensive 18 to 8).
It’s easy to make too much of a single game, but this one deserved the hype it generated. It was a legitimate test against a tough team on a roll, and the Blazers knocked it out of the park. The good news: they didn’t have to be perfect to do it. The bad news: they are going to need more going forward from here.
Portland’s starting lineup is dangerous and the first two subs (Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle) are high-impact role players who know exactly what they are supposed to do. But right now Kris Murray and Sidy Cissoko are trying to replace Grant and Sharpe (and Vit Krejci, too). That’s a huge ask.
The Blazers head back home for a Thursday rendezvous with the New Orleans Pelicans. Game time is 7:00 pm PDT.