With a win against the Nuggets, the Portland Trail Blazers move one step closer to qualifying for the NBA’s first ever Play-In Tournament.
Once again, the Portland Trail Blazers are proving that their pre-Orlando 2019-2020 struggles were all part of a horribly unlucky, injury ridden, fluke.
In their 125-115 win over the Nuggets the healthy “Bubble Blazers” played to their strengths, using their recent usual suspects to takedown an injury ridden Denver squad.
Unsurprisingly standing out above the rest, Damian Lillard had one of the best shooting performances of his career, going 11-of-18 from behind the arc, earning 45 points total on the night, along with an astounding 12 assists.
Just unreal, @dame_lillard. pic.twitter.com/t1QSPnbQSP
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 7, 2020
And while it may sound like the most broken of records, Gary Trent Jr. once again reminded the world who he is, shooting 7-of-10 from the three while giving the Blazers 27 points off the bench.
Despite incredible performances from multiple Blazers, the Nuggets kept the game close, even without key players such as Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap. Michael Porter Jr. continued his recent streak of success, earning 27 points of 55.6 percent shooting, while Mason Plumlee, PJ Dozier, and Bol Bol all managed to make an impact off the bench.
Despite Denver’s superior overall field goal percentage, Portland’s 23-of-39 three point shooting proved the difference maker, as the Nuggets’ tall lineup struggled to guard the perimeter.
Although the likes of Plumlee and Nikola Jokić kept Nurk from a double double, his 22 points and seamless pick and roll with Dame created numerous scoring opportunities for the Portland Trail Blazers throughout the night as he continues to create offensive opportunities Portland has been lacking all year long.
A consistent issue in Portland’s game remains their inability to guard the three. While opponents have not necessarily taken advantage, Portland has left shooters open often as the team adjusts to a new front court.
With time, the Portland Trail Blazers can better communicate when to switch or congest the paint, hopefully avoiding too many uncontested threes. While it’s better than an open layup, Portland cannot make this a consistent weakness in a league that continues to heighten the importance of long range shooting.
The Blazers’ most recent win comes at a crucial moment, especially considering the Phoenix Suns’ 4-0 Bubble start leading them to a 30-39 overall record, just a game and a half shy of Portland, who now sit at 32-38.
On the flip side, the Blazers are now just half a game behind the eighth seeded 32-37 Memphis Grizzlies. With four seeding games left for both sides, Portland is closer to playoff contention than they have been all season.
The Blazers will soon face arguably their toughest Bubble opponent yet, when they take on Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and the second seeded Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, August, 8, 10:00 p.m., PTD.