The Portland Trail Blazers fought tooth and nail for a win against the Houston Rockets in the Moda Center on Wednesday night. In a defensive struggle, the Blazers gave as much as they took, standing up to their heralded opponents without giving an inch of ground. Persistence paid off as Portland took a 103-102 win that went down to the literal billionth of a second.
As it is, Portland gets to celebrate a signature win, one that will be pointed to as a highlight of their season. Here are some of the reasons they got it.
Deni Avdija gave the Rockets a lesson in footspeed tonight. Halfcourt, fullcourt, didn’t matter. He seemed to get half a step (at least) on defenders whenever he touched the ball. His array of conversions and fouls drawn was nothing less than intimidating. He spent half the night with hyper-athletic Amen Thompson draped all over him too. 41 points stand testimony to his effectiveness, with 13 of 15 free throws contributing mightily.
Once Avdija got the ball rolling, Shaedon Sharpe followed up attacking the rim. He had 20 on the evening.
Between them, Portland’s stars made the Rockets work hard and think harder. It’s all you can ask, given the talent and health disparity between the teams.
I don’t usually love Portland’s variations on zone defense, but the Rockets are one of the best paint scoring teams in the league and the Blazers came ready for it. They absolutely packed the defense into the lane, daring Houston to drive or do anything within six feet of the rim. The Blazers lived with Kevin Durant from the midrange and any amount of three-point shooting the Rockets wanted to do. When KD got close to the basket in the middle of the zone, Portland sent the house against him.
This defensive scheme seemed tailored to the opponent and it was well-executed. Major marks for Portland there. It was one of their best defensive games of the season.
And hey, for the most part, it worked. Houston shot 8-36 from the arc and scored only 32in the paint. Portland managed to score 40 inside themselves, which really ain’t bad, all things considered. Winning that stat? Chef’s kiss.
Not that the Blazers were alone in cleverness. Houston dealt with Donovan Clingan by trying to pull him into pick and roll situations, hoping for the switch. If they got it, Durant would take two dribbles and pull up, while other aggressors would try to get by Clingan. DC is most comfortable when he’s deep in the paint. Houston did their best to move him around tonight.
That said, Clingan had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists against a large and bruising Rockets lineup.
Perhaps because their interior defenders were committed to closing on Houston scorers, the Blazers got obliterated on the offensive glass tonight. A 24-6 deficit is not something Portland is used to seeing. But you know, Houston is big and they missed a ton of shots, so that’s the way it goes.
Offensive rebounding is how Portland almost lost this game too. In the final possession of the evening, with the Blazers leading by a single point. Kevin Durant missed a jumper. The Rockets tipped it home off of an oversold defense, but the horn sounded just as the ball left Tari Eason’s fingertip. If the buzzer came an eyelash later, this would have been a Houston win.
KD has never been shy about putting up numbers against Portland. Tonight was no exception. Dude is a cold-blooded professional. He only created three inches of space against Portland’s aggressive defense, but his fingertip release in that space was incredible. It has to be seen to be believed.
Most NBA highlights happen when defenses break down and a hyper-athletic and/or skilled player gets to demonstrate what happens when he’s unopposed. Watching a guy defended as well as possible and still put down buckets like he was making sandwiches at Subway is special.
Durant finished the game with 37. When you score your age, that’s not bad.
The Blazers continue to struggle in late-game situations. Their execution is far from pristine in the clutch. A couple plays from the end of the game, Portland ended up with Toumani Camara going one-on-one versus Durant. They got bailed out as Camara found Avdija with a bail-out pass, but that didn’t erase the eyesore possession.
Then there was the aforementioned tip-in that almost cost them the win.
The Blazers are doing well to be in these games in the final possessions. They still can’t be trusted there though.
Games like this set the table for rivalries to develop. Houston is clearly above Portland’s level right now, but the Blazers could well become a thorn in the side to the titans from Texas. Durant isn’t getting any younger and won’t play forever. Watch what happens 3-4 years from now between these two teams. I suspect this won’t be the last fireworks-filled contest we’re going to see.
The Blazers face these same Houston Rockets on Friday night at 7:00 PM, Pacific. Buckle up.