The Blazers finally have a rough game go the other way. A sloppy game involving turnovers, the grabbing of way too many offensive rebounds by the opponent and defensive rotations that seemed a step too slow finally bit Portland and cost them a game.
The Portland Trail Blazers fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves 90-82. The Blazers fall to 17-5 on the season, while the Timberwolves improve to 5-16.
Oh boy, this was a frustrating game on all fronts. I have mentioned over the past couple of weeks that Portland has the tendency to turn the ball over a lot in stretches. Fortunately, it has not cost them a game nor hindered them severely in any way. Well, in tonight’s game, it did. The T-Wolves are not a fantastic team, but at least they have an excuse. Not only are they a young team, but they are dealing with tons of injuries. The newest addition being Mo Williams (back spasms). So, they essentially started their rookie point guard Zach LaVine and the only veteran players in the starting line-up were Corey Brewer and Thaddeus Young.
Now, it is easy to think that this game is going to be pushover and that Portland should have put this away early. In fact, it is anything but. I get worried when a team has a lot of injuries and shows a new line-up. It screws up the strategies for the other team and the unpredictability of the game becomes more of a factor. The other team does not know the strengths and weaknesses as well and just as the team with the new starting lineup is trying to figure things out on the fly, the other team is as well.
Three key factors contributed to this frustrating loss. One, we have already talked about, turnovers. Portland committed 20 total turnovers resulting in 20 points for the T-Wolves. The frustrating part was the most of the turnovers were freakish or should not have happened. Portland committed a lot of turnovers by passing into the paint and not having control of the ball. Chris Kaman would get his pocket picked or the ball would get tipped and start flying around. That is to be expected, but there were a couple of turnovers that made you shake your head in disappointment. One involved Steve Blake getting ready to drive closer into the paint, but ended up slipping and falling over. Another was a three-on-one fast break that Portland had well in hand, Damian Lillard threw a behind the back pass that resulted in LaMarcus Aldridge not getting a good grip on the ball and they turned it over. What hurt more was that the T-Wolves were able to get a three-pointer out of that at the buzzer to end the third quarter.
It is no secret that there are games where Portland cannot seem to handle the ball. The last game against the Pistons, they had 13. In the game against the Pacers, they had 12. In the game against the Nuggets, they had 12 as well. These types of games do not happen every game for Portland, but when they do, the turnovers come in droves. Unfortunately, it cost Portland dearly, especially since the T-Wolves were able to convert on most of them. Portland had nine turnovers in the second quarter and seven in the third quarter. That does a lot of damage.
Second, offensive rebounds. The T-Wolves were getting a lot of kind bounces and 50/50 balls that landed in their lap. But, Portland was getting destroyed on the offensive glass. Minnesota finished with 56 total rebounds, 20 of them being offensive. Portland finished with 38 rebounds and only 11 were offensive. Was there a question of effort? Was there a bit of fatigue from playing their third game in four days? I would guess it is more the latter than the former. I don’t think it was a question of effort, but Portland did look lethargic and slow. The offensive was not crisp and flowing and it seemed like players would only move if they had to. Plus, it seemed like Portland settled for a lot of three-point shots at stretches rather than let the offense work itself out. Regardless, any time a team gets 20 offensive rebounds, it is going to be a long night and it is going to be tough to come by baskets. The T-Wolves had 15 second-chance points to the Blazers 11, however, Minnesota was 5/15 while Portland was 5/9 in the those instances. Minnesota had a lot more opportunities; they just needed them to finally knock them down.
Finally, the FT line. Portland went 10-for-12 from the line. The problem was that Minnesota went 25-for-33 from the line. So, they scored 15 extra points just from the line alone. That was with them shooting just 76%. The fatigue and offensive stagnation at times comes into play. Portland had stretches where they did not even attempt to get into the paint. However, there were also times where they just did not get the call. Regardless, Portland got smashed on the FT line and it was because Portland was not forcing Minnesota to foul them. A lot of offensive possessions almost bailed the T-Wolves out. After passing the ball around and trying to get it to a guy inside, one of the guards would just attempt a three-pointer that would rim off. Now, with this team, I do not mind taking a three-pointer, but when the offensive is obviously not clicking and the offensive rebounds are not going your way, you need easy buckets and you need to get to the line.
Despite all of these problems, though, Portland did have a shot to win this game down the stretch. In the fourth quarter the Blazers outscored Minnesota 31-24. The defense finally showed up, particularly from Nicolas Batum who recorded two blocks and two steals in the fourth as well as good defense throughout. Portland would claw their way back to within four after two Aldridge FTs with 4:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the issues that plagued Portland all night never truly escaped them. Minnesota just had to trade buckets and, again, the 50/50 balls somehow landed in the lap of Minnesota players. Portland could never truly sustain the comeback.
Give credit to the T-Wolves, however. The ball movement that showcased and the energy they played with was very impressive. This game reminded me of Blazer games three years ago where they would come out with a victory against a very talented team. Teams are getting up for Portland. Portland is a top four team in the Western Conference, so these lower-caliber teams will get up for these kinds of games. I think that is what happened tonight. Minnesota had a six-game losing streak going coming into this game and they wanted to win. They also seemed to have every 50/50 ball go their way as well as mid-range shots go in at just the right time.
For Portland, not only were the three issues I mentioned above major factors, but there was not really a player on the roster that had a great night.
Lillard was the highest scorer. He finished with 23 points on 9-for-24 shooting, 2-for-12 from three with seven rebounds five assists and three steals. Lillard started figuring out that he was going to be the only one capable of getting this team back in it. Even though he had a very rough shooting night, especially from deep, he was the only player who might be able to give Portland buckets when needed.
Aldridge had a rough night from the start. The T-Wolves started double-teaming him from the beginning of the game and basically took him out of the game. Normally that does not work, but the three-pointer was not a friend tonight. He finished with just 10 points on 3-for-14 shooting, 1-for-3 from three, with nine rebounds, one assist and two blocks. LA could not even sniff the positions he wanted on the block and when he was open, he rushed shots and did not look comfortable once in this whole game. However, the three-pointer he took at the top of the key looked smooth and in rhythm. I am an advocate for getting more plays where he shoots more threes. He is shooting 54% from beyond the arc. Make it happen, Stotts!
Wesley Matthews posted another solid game. He finished with 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, 4-for-10 from three with two rebounds and one steal. He scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Batum finished with five points on 1-for-6 shooting, 1-for-5 from three, but had three rebounds, six assists, two steals and four blocks. Batum hit his first three of the game, but then missed for the rest of the game. He did everything else, but in this kind of game, it was not enough. Impressive stat for blocks, though.
Overall, forget this game, Blazer fans. While it is frustrating to lose to a team of this caliber, especially in the Western Conference, it happens. It did happen and it will happen again. All Portland can do now is take a day off and get ready for Chicago on Friday at the United Center. The fourth game of this five-game road trip is against the Bulls on Friday at 4:00 p.m. PST. This will be a very different and more deadly Bulls team than who they faced in the Moda Center a couple of weeks ago. A couple of players by the name of Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol will be playing, which automatically makes Chicago one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. It will be tough, but after tonight’s performance on the glass and a potential question of effort, I expect Portland to be energetic and ready to go. Stay tuned!