The Portland Trail Blazers won their first three matchups against the Golden State Warriors this season. So how did they manage to get blown out 119-97 in their most recent contest? The answer lies solely in the absence of Deni Avdija, who missed his first game of the season due to lower back soreness.
Avdija suffered the injury in the final two minutes of Portland's loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday. While the severity of the injury remains to be seen, hopefully, it doesn't sideline him for too many additional games. As we saw in this loss, Portland can't afford to play without its rising star for an extended stretch if it wants any chance of ending its playoff drought.
Blazers' blowout loss to Warriors proves Deni Avdija's value
The supporting cast around Avdija simply isn't good enough to keep them afloat in his absence, unlike how Avdija has done for them throughout the season when other key pieces have been sidelined. This game was a prime example of that, as the result was essentially decided at halftime when Portland entered the locker room down 67-41.
The Blazers struggled on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Donovan Clingan's drop coverage wasn't effective against Steve Kerr's offensive system. Golden State shot 40% from beyond the arc, and that was with Stephen Curry only connecting on 2-of-8 of his attempts from deep. But offensively, the Blazers missed Deni Avdija the most.
Previously a positive defender, Avdija's defense has taken a step back this season as he's had to expend so much energy as the primary offensive initiator for Portland. He ranks in the top 15 in the league in potential assists, proving how much more effective this entire offense could be with Avdija as the point-forward if he were surrounded by more complementary pieces.
The Blazers' lack of playmaking was on full display as they had more turnovers (22) than assists (20). Part of that can be attributed to Jrue Holiday still being on a minutes restriction as he comes back from a calf strain. Portland's veteran guard came off the bench for the second consecutive game, recording 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 21 minutes.
Ultimately, the Blazers are a better team than the one that showed up tonight, with or without Avdija. Still, this rough outing should be a testament to just how special he's been for the Blazers this season. Not too long ago, Portland had the longest active winning streak in the league at five games, with quality wins over teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. Now they're showing serious roster flaws in just one game without their best player.
If Avdija's All-Star case wasn't apparent by now, this game should be further proof of just how valuable he's been to Portland this season.
Hopefully, the Blazers can get their future All-Star back soon. His next chance to suit up will be Thursday in a home matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.