Trail Blazers: Player grades from tough loss to the Clippers

The Portland Trail Blazers were on the cusp of bouncing back from Monday’s loss but fell just short when LA’s 4th quarter run put Rip City’s hopes to bed.

In a game that had playoff intensity, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum fell short in the fourth when the Portland Trail Blazers needed them most, ultimately leading to the Clippers dominating the final quarter of action.

The Trail Blazers have now lost three consecutive games and a win seems desperately needed for Rip City, but for now here are their individual player grades from Thursday night’s action.

Dame struggled from behind the arc but still played well up until the final quarter where everything went wrong for the Trail Blazers. Lillard had 22 points entering the fourth but was dominated by Patrick Beverley from then on. Lillard went scoreless in the final quarter which is rare from one of the more elite game finishers in the NBA. On the brighter side, Lillard facilitated and rebounded quite well totaling six assists and rebounds apiece. On the defensive side, Lillard had one of his more scrappy performances as he totaled three steals and held Beverly to only scoring two points.

The concerns with CJ McCollum remain relevant as other than his explosion in the third quarter he really struggled. McCollum finished with 22 points in the game — 14 of which came in the third quarter — but just like Dame, he couldn’t get a bucket in the fourth. Neither Dame nor CJ managed to score a single point in the game’s most important quarter which is a major red flag for the Trail Blazers as these are the team leaders and those who consume most of the payroll.

The offensive glass was dominated by Hassan Whiteside tonight as he totaled 9 offensive boards which was crucial for keeping the Trail Blazers in this game. Along with the 9 offensive rebounds, Whiteside totaled 10 defensive boards as well making his total 19 on the night. His defensive presence was felt as well with a pair blocks and a steal while managing to avoid putting himself into foul trouble. Whiteside also scored 17 points in the game, but struggled to finish as he shot 7-18 from the field. Overall Whiteside did exactly what the Blazers needed in this game.

The fourth quarter eruption from Anfernee Simons was the only thing that kept the Trail Blazers in this game down the stretch. Simons was held scoreless prior to the start of the final quarter but caught fire when the Blazers needed him most. McCollum and Lillard had their struggles and Simons rose to the occasion totaling 17 points in the quarter and almost brought the game home for the Blazers in Los Angeles. Simons has been excellent as of late being the spark for this beaten up Trail Blazers team. His success as of late has been one of the only positives so far for Rip City this year.

Rodney Hood was horrendous against the Warriors on Monday night and the struggles continued in Los Angeles. He only managed to get a shot up five times in the 30 minutes he played, which is not ideal for the Trail Blazers as they’ve been leaning on his production all year. For the Blazers to succeed, Hood needs to be better. He needs to be an offensive threat every game and someone the Trail Blazers can always rely on. There was truly no positives for Rodney Hood coming away from this game other than the fact that he gets the opportunity to redeem himself tonight against the Brooklyn Nets.

Mario Hezonja had put together two strong back-to-back games prior to Thursday night in Los Angeles, where nothing could go right for the Trail Blazers new Croatian swingman. He shot an abysmal 1-for-9 from the field and missed on all three of his 3-point attempts. Not only did Hezonja shoot miserably, but he had the worst Plus/Minus out of all the Trail Blazers who stepped into action Thursday night with a -16 differential. The Blazers cannot afford for Hezonja to perform like this especially with absences of Collins and Nurkic. The rotation in Portland is already thin as can be and having Hezonja play like this is not ideal for Rip City.

If you’re feeling down about last night’s loss, make sure to tune back in tonight as the Trail Blazers tackle the Brooklyn Nets in what could be a pick-me-up victory.