The Portland Trail Blazers offense stalls late
The Blazers have not been great at responding to adversity or quelling large runs from their opponents so far this season.
When the defense breaks down for a couple of big plays, the effort completely drops off on both sides of the court. Rotations become late, the one-on-one defense diminishes, and they stop battling on the defensive boards.
As concerning as the defense can be when challenged, the offense’s response might be even worse.
When up against a large run, the Blazers like to try to trade buckets, opting to go with hero ball rather than continue to find quality shots by breaking the defense down with their passing.
It hasn’t worked all season and it didn’t work tonight. Portland has dropped two very winnable games against the Sacramento Kings and this one against the Hornets, solely due to the way their offense stopped churning.
Until Damian Lillard is fully back to MVP-form, the Blazers need to do a better job sticking to the offensive game plan to try to stop their offensive droughts.
This is something that Chauncey Billups must address with his team. Portland has won all three of their victories by large margins, but they will have to re-learn how to win close ones.