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Trail Blazers: Game grades from close loss to division rival in Utah

By Austin Carroll

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 26: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz and Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers look on during a game on December 26, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 26: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz and Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers look on during a game on December 26, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Despite a herculean performance from Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers were not able to defeat the Jazz on the road in Utah.

Another close game against a contender, another loss for the Portland Trail Blazers. Try as they might, this squad just can’t seem to get over the hump and beat good teams when it matters.

Rip City looked on as the Trail Blazers choked a late opportunity to steal a win against the Utah Jazz, with a final score of 115-121. Damian Lillard played out of his mind, but it wasn’t enough as Portland dropped its second consecutive game after building up a bit of positive momentum.

Here’s a look at individual player grades from Thursday night’s action.

. . 34 PTS, 8 AST, 4 REB. DAMIAN LILLARD. A

Damian Lillard started the year red hot, but has since seemed to cool down significantly. Beofre last night, Dame had shooting 32.1 percent from deep (52-for-162) over the course of the Trail Blazers’ last 20 games. That’s why seeing his stroke finally fall — hitting 7-of-13 threes — was so uplifting. But Lillard was also contributing when he wasn’t scoring in bunches, seen by his game high eight assists. More importantly, he dished out those dimes  while only committing a single turnover as the primary ball handler, that’s impressive.

After drilling pair of huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and delivering a precise pass to put the game within two points, Portland nearly came out with a big win. Didn’t happen this time, but this loss falls on the shoulders of Dame’s supporting cast.

. 25 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST. CJ MCCOLLUM. C+.

25 points on 23 shots is far from ideal efficiency, but CJ McCollum stepped up when he needed to and stuck to his role. This loss is not on him, but when he’s not shooting efficiently he really needs to learn how to contribute in other areas of the game. Considering McCollum leads the league in total minutes played, it’s discouraging to see him posting just four rebounds and two assists when he’s logging 37 minutes with such a high usage rate. CJ must learn how to get his teammates involved and open up Portland’s stagnant offense.

. . 12 PTS, 7 REB, 1 STL. CARMELO ANTHONY. C-

The final shot Carmelo Anthony took to close the game will probably be the only one most fans remember from this game, but in retrospect probably shouldn’t be held against him. Although his teammates were on fire, there’s not many better looks you’re going to get than over the plodding French big man Rudy Gobert on the perimeter. Unfortunately, Gobert tipped the ball and since he’s Carmelo, people will resent him for it. But over the course of the game there was a lot of things that could have tilted the game in Portland’s favor.

What fans should really be concerned about is how Anthony is still a turnover and fouling machine.  Melo turned the ball over three times and committed five fouls. Those extra possessions over the course of the game turned the tide in Utah’s favor.

. 8 PTS, 6 REB, 1 BLK. HASSAN WHITESIDE. F.

To put it plainly, when you’re a center in the NBA and Anfernee Simons is outrebounding you, there’s probably a lot you could be improving on. Rudy Gobert had his way with Hassan Whiteside all night, bullying the Blazers’ big man down low in the paint and reeling in 15 rebounds along the way. Gobert also finished on all seven of his field goal attempts, where Hassan put up feeble resistance at best. Worst of all, Hassan was pulled from the game after only 22 minutes in favor of Skal Labissiere — who looked far superior and actually closed out the fourth and helped propel a near-comeback.

. . 15 PTS, 10 REB, 7-9 FG. ANFERNEE SIMONS. A+

Anfernee Simons was electric last night. He played the perfect complementary role off the bench, scoring on seven of his nine shot attempts as well as reeling in a team high 10 rebounds. Simons also posted a game high Plus/Minus of +22, clearly shown by how he helped spark Portland’s surge back with the rest of the bench. Simons still has a lot to learn, but he’s clearly taking steps towards becoming the game-changer the Trail Blazers need him to be.

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If Simons can improve on the defensive side of things and stop giving as many points as he gets, he just might one day evolve into one of the league’s most dynamic talents.