Have the Portland Trail Blazers finally solved their third quarter problem?

Third quarter struggles have defined the Portland Trail Blazers. But recent results have offered that they may have finally solved the post-halftime riddle.

Not to sound like one of those cliché LeBron James haters from 2011, but it always felt like somewhat of an oxymoron that ebbs and flows of the Portland Trail Blazers offense ran through a superstar nicknamed “Dame Dolla,” despite being mostly a three-quarter team.

Even as they remain a team seven games under .500, it felt like a safe assumption that at full health, the Blazers would be able to rectify their problems with depth and defense. The last gaping flaw came in Portland’s tendency to leave its skills in the locker room after the halftime break.

For reference: of the teams invited to the Orlando bubble, only the Sacramento Kings (-6.8) produced a worse third quarter point differential than Portland (-6.6) from the start of the 2019-20 season to Aug. 1. And that development has come back to haunt the Portland Trail Blazers in many of the make-or-break games in this decade.

Head coach Terry Stotts has gone on record in saying that “great teams turn it on in the third quarter.” It just so happened that he was referring to a different team — the historically-excellent-in-the-third-quarter Golden State Warriors — in the process.

In the three scrimmage games, the Blazers exacerbated that weakness by getting outscored 107-69 in third quarters, and then opened seeding games by allowing the Grizzlies to claw back into the first matchup with a 36-25 advantage after the half. The Portland Trail Blazers were too talented a team to allow the problem to persist. And with a whopping two games as our witness, it appears they’ve made some strides towards that.

In successive matchups against the Celtics and Rockets, Portland has seen that trend tilt their way, winning both periods by a combined average of 6.0 points. And while the majority of that comes on the backs of Damian Lillard’s herculean efforts, they’ve been suggestive of the Blazers finally ironing out of the kinks in one of their more glaring weaknesses.

On film, there appeared to be three reasons for that two-game renaissance:

1. Damian Lillard is putting the onus on himself:

Portland’s fate, as it always has, lives and dies on the tattooed shoulders of their future Hall of Fame point guard. He appears to be embracing the pressure. More known for his brilliance as a fourth quarter player, Lillard has quietly ascended the ranks to become the NBA’s No. 1 third quarter scorer (9.0 points per game).

It certainly helps that Stotts’ rotation staggers ensure that Lillard is on the floor for nearly every second of third quarters; he ranks No. 1 in minutes played too.

But that much, we knew. What’s gone understated is how Lillard has stepped up defensively as well. It’s become a talking point in Portland, but him stepping up to defend Jayson Tatum and hold him to 3-of-9 shooting in the second half of the Blazers-Celtics game was just another anecdote in his competitive story.

Portland’s third quarter struggles were noticeable to even the naked-eyed casual fan. But their superstar has stepped up recently to ensure the boat hasn’t rocked as much lately.

2. A proven, legitimate Sixth Man:

Terry Stotts has become somewhat of a public enemy among fans for his perceived unwillingness to make quicker adjustments defensively. But two positives have stood out to me, on his behalf: 1) his decision to run traps and force the ball out of James Harden’s hands defined the game, in my eyes.

And 2) While it isn’t Popovich-esque, he’s been willing to rope players out of there when opposing teams go on third quarter runs. (See the Memphis game, for example).

He’s probably able to sleep easier in those hotel beds knowing he has his first bonafide bench catalyst in quite some time in Gary Trent Jr. There doesn’t seem to be a limit on the amount of positive things to say about the sophomore guard at this point. And while Portland still plays their starters more than any team in third quarters, Trent Jr. has provided a safety valve.

He’s given “luxury” a whole new meaning in those Orlando hotel suites.

His 18.0 points per game ranks No. 4 among bench players in the bubble. And he’s been a +21 in third quarters. With credit to both Hassan Whiteside, Anfernee Simons and Mario Hezonja, the Blazers bench has been reliable when needed thus far. And that confidence has been paramount.

3. A tougher defensive gameplan:

We briefly hit on the traps that Stotts and the Portland Trail Blazers ran in the second half, and how those bled into the second half and helped the Blazers pull away. But over the past few games, Portland has simply become a more effective defensive team in the second half. Here’s an example of that trap.

The 106.3 defensive rating doesn’t jump off the wall, until you remember the personnel. The Rockets (29.4) and Celtics (29.3) rank No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in third quarter scoring. And the Portland Trail Blazers kept both at bay, in large part because of what we discussed above.

And that, in itself, feels like something to watch develop over the next few days. The Blazers’ next two games will be against the Nuggets and Clippers, two of the league’s best third quarter teams. The litmus test has arrived. Tomorrow night will tell us if they’ve studied hard enough.