(USA TODAY Sports Images)
A highlight play overshadowed by a recurring problem.
That was the idea throughout the Portland Trail Blazers’ match against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was simply not enough and it ended with all of the nagging problems combined together into one possession.
The Blazers lose a heartbreaker to the Timberwolves 106-105 on Saturday night. The Blazers fall to 43-38, while the Timberwolves improve to 28-52.
Do not let the record fool you, Minnesota is no longer the easy victory on the schedule. Portland has witnessed that first hand as they have won all three of their previous outings against Minnesota, but they have all been down-to-the-wire type games, including two double-digit comebacks by the Blazers in Minnesota.
What was once a team focused on offense and little defense has now suddenly become a defensively disciplined team. The Blazers figured that out the hard way in tonight’s game as Minnesota constantly played sound defense, going so far as to simply nullify usual plays run by Portland.
One possession saw Mason Plumlee pass to Mo Harkless as he drove to the basket. The lane closed off, so Harkless dumped it back to Plumlee, who promptly spun and passed it to Harkless as Minnesota defenders closed. In a blink of an eye, Minnesota rotated and blocked off any passage for Harkless to get an easy bucket and ended up forcing the Blazers into a tough shot.
While the Blazers shot 50 percent from the field on the night, they shot just 38 percent from three. It was not a comfortable shooting night and even when the Blazers got rolling, Minnesota would respond in some unconventional way. Shabazz Muhammad would swish a three-pointer three steps behind the line, or Tayshaun Prince would swish a long two that would continue to give the T-Wolves the edge.
Whenever Portland made plays, the Timberwolves countered, or simply had to wait for the Blazers to trip up themselves. One occasion comes to mind where Gerald Henderson turned the ball over on an out-of-bounds play in the second quarter as the Blazers started flowing on offense.
It was the self-sabotage and the shake-your-head moments that continued to stop Portland from truly mounting a comeback.
It looked bleak in the fourth quarter as the realization set in. The Blazers were running out of time and it seemed as if Minnesota was simply not going to let up. With 2:09 remaining in the quarter, Zach LaVine split a pair at the line to give the Timberwolves an eight-point lead, their biggest lead of the night. It was a shocking turn of events as the night had been mostly a back-and-forth affair.
In quick fashion, the Blazers struck back, cutting the lead to two with 1:00 remaining. Plumlee would swish a jumper and C.J. McCollum would get himself to the line and make two. With the offense finally clicking, the Blazers’ defense cranked up and Minnesota was missing shots that seemed easy for them earlier.
However, despite the heroics, Andrew Wiggins split a pair at the line with 0:41 remaining as Portland fouled on the defensive effort. If matters could not seem to get any worse, Plumlee was called for a five second violation on the inbounds, handing the ball over to Minnesota once again.
Damian Lillard, having stood his ground on defense all night, took a shot to the chest by Wiggins and an offensive foul was called, giving Portland the ball back once again.
Lillard would respond in kind, going to the rim and making a bucket, reducing the deficit to just one for the good guys.
Time was not on Portland’s side and they were forced to foul and as LaVine made two free throws, it was another late-game situation that would showcase which team had the extra play to be made.
Lillard responded in his dramatic way as he raised up from beyond the arc and attempted a three-point shot, hoping to get the foul called. Ricky Rubio reached in, causing the foul, but Lillard also made the basket, giving Portland a potential four-point play and a chance to a take a one-point lead with 3.5 seconds remaining.
With a one-point lead in hand, it was an uncomfortable position. All night long, the Blazers just needed one break or one defensive possession to go their way. It never seemed to happen. On the last possession, it continued to be the case.
Prince threw the ball into future Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns who had deep position under the basket and simply turned and flipped the ball in to give Minnesota a one-point lead. With no timeouts left and just a second remaining on the clock, Portland was out of options and out of opportunities.
In games where Portland has struggled to corral a rebound or limit their opposition to just one chance on the offensive end, the Blazers have gotten bit. Minnesota had 13 offensive rebounds to Portland’s 11. However, they converted their extra chances, scoring 19 points to Portland’s 11 on second-chance opportunities.
Look no further than Towns who tore the Blazers apart under the basket and from the outside. He finished with 27 points on 13-of-20 shooting, with nine rebounds, four offensive and two blocked shots. Portland simply had no answer for the big man.
Despite Lillard finishing with 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting, 4-of-10 from three with seven assists and one steal, the Blazers doomed themselves in a sense. They never truly figured out the Timberwolves and were constantly betting on the next possession to get over the hump.
McCollum was efficient, scoring 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 1-of-2 from three with seven assists.
In the end, the Blazers have one final game to play next Wednesday and with this loss tonight, need to rely on the Dallas Mavericks to lose at least one of their final games for Portland to gain a hold of the fifth seed. Instead of controlling their own destiny, they look outward for help.
Portland takes on the Denver Nuggets in the Moda Center to wrap up the regular season on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. PST.
Stay tuned!