The Portland Trail Blazers are now 11-16 on the season after a 134-133 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings. It was the strangest game Portland has played this entire season.
At home playing against a Kings team without Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, the Blazers entered the game as heavy favorites despite dealing with significant injuries of their own. They were well on track to secure this victory with a convincing 18-point lead with just five minutes left in regulation. Sacramento somehow managed to send it to overtime, going on a 17-2 run in less than two minutes.
Late-game execution was a significant issue. It likely should've even cost Portland the game had they not gotten bailed out with a questionable foul call on Russell Westbrook on Deni Avdija's final desperation heave following a DeMar DeRozan jumper on the other end.
Late-game execution largely reflects the coach. It's where options expand, and decisions are magnified. Tiago Splitter would probably be the first to admit that this wasn't his finest coaching performance, and in hindsight, he could've done a few things differently with Sacramento cutting into the lead so quickly. However, this isn't entirely on him.
Tiago Splitter doesn't have a point guard for late-game execution
Another key component of late-game execution is guard play -- hitting free throws down the stretch, taking care of the ball, managing the clock, etc. Without Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, and even Blake Wesley, the Blazers' backcourt options were minimal.
Avdija served as a point forward, finishing with 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He also had five turnovers. One came at a crucial time towards the end of regulation, where the ball went off his fingers in the corner after an inbound from Kris Murray.
These late-game mistakes weren't just on Avdija, either. In overtime, Sidy Cissoko turned it over inbounding to Jerami Grant with the Blazers up three in overtime, which then made it a 132-131 game with 17.4 seconds remaining.
Even worse, the Blazers kept lobbing it up to Donovan Clingan as the safety valve on inbounds. "The ball found its way to the guy the Sacramento Kings wanted it to find," Blazers broadcaster Kevin Calabro pointed out.
Clingan finished with a strong stat line of 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, but shot just 5-of-13 from the charity stripe. He missed both free throws with 16.5 seconds remaining in overtime and the Blazers up 132-131, which then opened the door for DeRozan, one of the most underrated clutch performers in the league.
Avdija has stepped up in his point forward role and has been a silver lining this season for Portland's depleted backcourt. But for Portland to rely on him as the only playmaking and ball-handling option is asking too much of one player. That was exposed down the stretch of the game when the Blazers couldn't find Avdija on these inbounds and had to resort to other, less-than-ideal options.
Until the Blazers get their backcourt back, we must be patient with evaluating Splitter's time as head coach. He was thrown into the fire after just one game following Chauncey Billups' shocking departure and has had to try to make the most of an unprecedented situation with a roster that never seems to be getting healthy.
Whether he is truly the answer as Portland's permanent head coach remains to be seen. It's simply too early in the process to evaluate, given the Blazers' shorthanded roster. Still, there are plenty of things both Splitter and the Blazers can improve on, starting with their late-game execution.
Portland will have a chance to build on its questionable win with a rematch scheduled against the Kings on Saturday, this time in Sacramento.