Portland Trail Blazers throw away win vs the LA Clippers

The Portland Trail Blazers led by 5 with 1:30 to play, but couldn’t get it done vs. the Clipper bench in crunch time. A tough, disheartening loss in their race for the eight seed.

After 24 minutes, the Portland Trail Blazers were rolling; up 6, shooting great from all over the court, and four players had already scored double digits. Gary Trent Jr had 4 three’s, Carmelo Anthony was playing superb, and the Blazers looked a decent bet to close the gap on Memphis once more.

The second half was not quite the same. Both teams cooled off, but the Blazers stopped running plays, and their offense became scrappy. They fought into a decent position with 90 seconds to play but then choked away the win to the Clippers’ second unit, with Damian Lillard missing two free throws late in the game.

Here are some takeaways from the 117-122 loss.

Portland’s offense goes missing when it matters

Twenty-one points scored in the third quarter. Twenty-one points scored in the fourth. For a team with the offensive fire-power that Portland has, that’s unacceptable.

It wasn’t like the Clippers just ramped up the intensity either; the Blazers stopped moving the ball. They came out from the break looking slower, and settled for way too many tough shots. Dame had his way in the first half, but lost it in the second half.

Nurkic was involved from the perimeter in the first half, playing distributor as he racked up eight first-half assists. But as the Blazers’ shooting cooled, I would have loved to see them get the Bosnian a few more touches in the post, or even in a pick-and-roll set. Nurk screened well, but rarely got the return pass.

Carmelo Anthony had a strong game, but in the fourth, he also settled too much, relying way too heavily on iso plays in the post. This team is best when the ball is moving, and in the second half, it just stopped.

How high is Gary Trent Jr’s ceiling?

It seems to keep rising each time he steps on the court. But at some point we’re going to have to stop and take a minute- how good will Trent Jr get?

He starts the season as a fringe player and plays his way to where he is now, a playoff-rotation lock, a terrific 3&D guy. But are we about to see more from the shooting guard, dare I say a star-level kind of development?

He’s now shooting 28-36 from three since the restart. He is the only bench player to score at least 100 points in the bubble. He’s averaging 20.6 points, along with some pretty tidy defense as well. He also got a few over Paul George today, which makes him an instant Blazers legend.

Is it too early to say the Blazers may have a potential big four on their hands? For the next few years, at least, a core of Dame, CJ, Nurkic, and Trent Jr is fascinating. When the Blazers roll out the three-guard lineup, they look exhilarating on the offensive end, and Trent Jr is versatile enough to guard small forwards on the other end. Will we see him starting next season?

If Trent Jr can make a leap like this in little over a year, we shouldn’t be thinking about capping his ceiling anytime soon. Lillard has said GTJ has a significant role to play in the future of the Trail Blazers, and if this development arc continues, Trent Jr can be a whole lot more than a solid bench guy.

We need more from Zach Collins

Zach Collins has been slightly underwhelming if a little forgotten in the NBA restart.

His offensive touch looks a little off, even with his averages being relatively similar. Collins looked set for an offensive breakout, and while we haven’t seen that in his return just yet, we always knew it wasn’t a necessity for this Portland team. The Blazers have enough scoring, and Collins making the jump to a 14 PPG guy wasn’t going to be the reason they get over the hump.

What the Blazers need from Collins, is his defense, which as looked a little below par at times. At his best, Collins his versatile on the perimeter, and elite at defending the rim; we all remember him spiking shots into the crowd vs. the Warriors, and talking back at Klay Thompson in the playoffs.

Collins is fiery, and he’s intense, he’s the energy guy that sorts out the dirty work for your team. But in the bubble, we’re yet to see this version of him. Collins has looked a little hesitant and has often gotten into foul trouble, which usually disrupts his momentum.

Even with the return of Nurkic, this Blazers team needs defense as much as anyone, and Collins must be one of the main pillars behind this charge. With three seeding games remaining, Portland could do with their young big stepping up and firing up the defensive unit.