A big game from the bench carried the Trail Blazers to a potential season-changing win against the Raptors on Friday, showing how special it can be.
The bench was a major reason the Trail Blazers were off to a blistering 10-3 start and sat atop the Western Conference standings as late as November 21 but it was also an Achilles’ heel that led to eight losses in 11 games before last night.
The bench was pivotal early in the season but eventually, each member regressed, as pointed out by Mike Tokito of Forbes:
"At this point, the Blazers cannot afford subpar games from their main scorers. Portland’s bench, which was such a key part of the team’s 10-3 start, has lost major ground offensively. During the eight losses in their current 11-game slump, the Blazers reserves were outscored seven times by the opponents’ bench."
The unit averaged 40.1 points per game through the team’s first 13 games (ninth in the NBA), but they put up just 28.2 points per game over the next 15 contests (second-fewest in the league).
The struggles during the games against the Rockets and Grizzlies were clear, as the Portland reserves were outscored 75-28 in the two games combined. Another problem was that the starters raced to a 27-12 lead against the Rockets and a 26-15 lead against the Grizzlies but the bench blew them both times, which led to losses.
We always talk about the Blazers not having a third star, but this team's success will be determined by their bench. This game is further evidence of that. Their bench was second in the NBA in scoring early in the season. That's why they got off to a great start.
— Rip City Project (@ripcityproject) December 15, 2018
The Raptors were coming off blowout road wins against the Clippers and Warriors, without Kawhi Leonard and they had the best record in the NBA, so the Trail Blazers had to play a near flawless game to beat them, especially their bench. That’s exactly what happened and the Portland bench outscored Toronto’s reserves 58-26 in a 128-122 win on Friday.
Just three Portland players scored in double figures in Wednesday’s 92-83 loss in Memphis, but last night eight players scored 11 points or more, including four of the five bench players.
Zach Collins got the job done on both ends of the floor, scoring 16 points (the most he’s scored since October 29) on 6 of 8 shooting in 21 minutes, to go along with four rebounds, one steal, and one block.
Seth Curry had his best game as a Trail Blazer with 13 points, including three key 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter. Nik Stauskas added 13 points, Evan Turner stepped up and had a great all-around game with 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists after averaging just 6.6 points per game in his last five contests and Meyers Leonard made both of his shots and grabbed three rebounds in 21 minutes.
Next up is a visit to a surprising Clippers team that also has a deep bench. It will be interesting to see if last night’s game was a momentum-swinging win for the Trail Blazers and if their reserves can deliver another outstanding effort.
The first games of the season and last night’s effort proved how much of an impact the bench has on this team and they also showed a blueprint of what each player has to do in order to keep that momentum going in the coming months.
When this unit steps up Portland can beat anyone and if they build on last night’s performance this team can go far in the playoffs.