On Thursday afternoon, I wrote an article here that talked about the Portland Trail Blazers’ need to have a backup plan if the threes stopped falling. Specifically, if Damian Lillard and Ja Morant’s threes stopped falling. Well, on Thursday night, the Blazers’ undefeated start to the season came to an end – and so did Lillard’s hot streak from deep.
Up until Thursday night, Lillard was on fire from three-point range. He needed to keep that rolling on Thursday night, because clearly, his (and the entire team’s) rough night from beyond the arc was definitely what cost them the game. Portland couldn’t make a shot, and it caught up to them against the Memphis Grizzlies.
It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that once Portland’s threes stopped going in, they lost a game. The Blazers will be fine, but that’s an obvious correlation.
Damian Lillard's cold shooting is emblematic of the Blazers' need for a backup plan
Lillard shot badly on Thursday night. He went just 1-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc against the Grizzlies, ending the night with just nine points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Morant kept up his solid shooting, going 2-of-5 from behind the arc. Toumani Camara (3-of-8) shot okay from deep range, too. But the rest of the Blazers, like Lillard, came crashing back down to earth.
Deni Avdija shot 0-of-4 from deep. Donovan Clingan shot 1-of-3. Sidy Cissoko went 0-of-3 off the bench, and Scoot Henderson only shot 1-of-5 himself.
As a team, the Blazers only shot 12-of-49 (24.5%) from distance. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were on fire from three. They combined to shoot 18-of-42 (42.9%) from behind the arc.
In the end, the Blazers got taken down. A 21-point loss. It was the definition of coming back down to reality, especially after one of the hottest starts in basketball.
The game wasn’t Lillard’s fault. Not wholly. But his stark decline in three-point shooting was certainly emblematic of the larger issue, and it’s a big reason why the Blazers lost.
Having great three-point shooting can definitely be a defining quality of Blazers basketball this year. They have plenty of guys who shoot well from beyond the arc.
That said, they need to have a backup plan. They cannot rely only on the three-ball. And Lillard’s performance – and the whole team's performance – proved that against the Grizzlies.
Once the threes stop falling, Portland has to have a backup plan to go to. Something that can still win them games when they aren’t making shots (and the other team is).
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