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Another Blazers Game, Another Disappointing Loss in Philadelphia

By Spencer Gordon

Jan 20, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives past Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives past Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite a nice defensive game from Portland, the Blazers let another game slip away in Philadelphia.

Up by two with four seconds left, Robert Covington hit an incredibly difficult three pointer to win the game 93-92. Damian Lillard had a chance to put the Blazers up by three with a second free throw, but the All-Star had an uncharacteristic miss and gave the Sixers a window.

To add to the disappointment, the shot was only possible due to an offensive rebound from Dario Saric. The controversy comes when replays show him out of bounds with the ball in hand, meaning it should’ve been Blazers ball.

Despite that, the last play of the game was as sloppy as could be. An emergency pass to Allen Crabbe to beat the five second call was the first mistake. Then, our 75 million dollar man thought the best play was to give it to Mason Plumlee to take the last shot. His layup was heavily contested and rimmed out for the loss.

Lillard had a great first half, scoring 20 points on his way to 30 for the game. He absolutely stroked it from everywhere in the first quarter, missing just once on his way to 16 points.

However, one of his best plays of the game, was his strip of Ersan Ilyasova near the end of the game. It looked like Philadelphia had grabbed a key offensive rebound before Lillard poked it away and earned two free throws. Unfortunately, he missed the second free throw and the Sixers took advantage.

The game was really lost due to a Philadelphia controlled third quarter. Led by Ilyasova, Philly erased any momentum the Blazers had. Their frantic play and ability to knock down three pointers got the game close for the rest of the game.

Chief Came to Play!

Jan 20, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) goes up for a shot as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) defends during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) goes up for a shot as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) defends during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

The fourth quarter started with a bang with a great play by Al-Farouq Aminu. First off, he stole the ball and immediately went behind the back to get by the defender. Then, he put Sergio Rodriguez on a poster with an emphatic dunk. To couple with that, Chief dunked over Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot earlier in the game as well. Look for the Chief on Sportscenter tonight!

Before his injury, Joel Embiid was dominating. He ended with 18 points, 10 boards and four blocks to showcase why Philadelphia is so excited about their new star.

Another disappointing ending. Blazers are truly struggling to find their rhythm.

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