Blazers Emerging as Underrated Threat in West and Other Wednesday NBA Takeaways
The Portland Trail Blazers were rightfully considered candidates for modest regression following a breakout 54-win season, but Terry Stotts' club is quietly emerging as a threat in the Western Conference following Wednesday's 130-113 annihilation of the Denver Nuggets.
En route to dropping a season high in points, the Blazers scored 84 in the first half, which was a prolific mark for a number of reasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info and NBA.com:
Following a win that saw the Blazers also tally or tie season highs in assists (30) and three-pointers (16), according to Trail Blazers PR, Portland's sitting pretty with an offensive rating of 109.5, which is good for No. 2 overall behind the Dallas Mavericks, according to NBA.com.
According to CSNNW.com's Jabari Young, Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson told reporters that Portland's offense thrived from beyond the arc because of Denver's tactical miscues, which points to the pick-your-poison proposition opponents face when defending the Blazers' vaunted attack:
Furthermore, the Blazers have scored at least 100 points in six straight games dating back to a 101-82 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 4.
However, Portland's success can't be defined by offensive explosions alone.
Nine games into the 2014-15 campaign, the Blazers are surrendering 101.3 points per 100 possessions, which represents a significant improvement over last season's defensive rating of 104.7 (No. 16 overall).
Combine those two efficiency totals and the Blazers rank third behind the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors in terms of net rating (plus-8.3 points per 100 possessions), per NBA.com.
While the San Antonio Spurs are starting to emerge from their cocoon after a sluggish start, Portland has a chance to leave a lasting impression in a Western Conference riddled with question marks.
Not only are the Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers struggling to find their footing due to shaky defensive efforts, but the Oklahoma City Thunder's injury woes have opened the door for Portland to seize control of the Northwest Division.
With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook sidelined, the Blazers are emerging as the favorites in a division that's arguably the league's worst through nine games.
Following Wednesday night's action, the Nuggets, Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz have posted a combined record of 9-23. And with Oklahoma City the only other perceived postseason contender in that group, the seas are seemingly parting for Portland to capture its first division title since 1999.
The Blazers will look to take the next step toward achieving that goal when they host the Brooklyn Nets at 10 p.m. ET Saturday night.
Around the Association
Anthony Davis is Still Unfair
Anthony Davis helped validate Kobe Bryant's belief that he may eventually become one of the best power forwards ever, totaling 25 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks in the New Orleans Pelicans' 109-102 defeat of the Los Angeles Lakers. Davis has now tallied at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in three of New Orleans' seven games this season.
After scoring 33 points on 10-of-28 shooting, Bryant leads the league in scoring, according to ESPN.com's Arash Markazi:
New Orleans gashed the Lakers for 60 points in the paint, outscoring the opposition by 26 down low, while shooting 54.9 percent from the field, which led Los Angeles head coach Byron Scott to shred his team's defensive effort, according to ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes:
Fournier Lights Up Madison Square Garden
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Orlando Magic defeated the New York Knicks, 97-95, behind Evan Fournier's career-high 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting (10-of-14 from the free-throw line).
Starting in place of the injured Victor Oladipo, Fournier has established himself as a reliable knockdown shooter from the perimeter, averaging 18.2 points on identical 51.4 percent shooting from the field and three. According to NBA.com, Fournier is thriving above the break, where he's knocked down 48.5 percent (16-of-33) of his three-point attempts.
Losers of six straight, the Knicks (2-7) now own the league's third-worst net rating at minus-8.7 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. Only the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers own less favorable net ratings.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, this is the Knicks' worst start in five years:
Houston Sets Records Galore in Mexico
Dwight Howard (22 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks) and James Harden (23 points, 10 assists, three steals) led the Houston Rockets to a 113-101 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Mexico City.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, no team in league history has relied on the three-point shot through eight games quite like Houston:
And with a 12-point margin of victory, the Rockets notched their first seven wins by double digits for the first time in franchise history, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Indiana Owns the Glass, Slays Miami
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Miami Heat, 81-75, in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch, out-rebounding the defending conference champions, 53-28.
In a rough-and-tumble slugfest, the Pacers were able to overcome a poor shooting night to eke out their third win of the season, according to ESPN.com's Michael Wallace:
And as ESPN's Tom Haberstroh noted, Miami routinely struggles against Frank Vogel's scrappy clubs:
Roy Hibbert finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in the win. According to NBA TV, it was just the fourth 15-point, 15-rebound game of Hibbert's career:
Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting but managed just nine points over the game's final 36 minutes after scoring 11 points in the first quarter.
Jennings and Wall Duel in D.C.
Brandon Jennings scored a season-high 32 points (11-of-19 shooting) and dished out 10 assists, but the Washington Wizards defeated the Detroit Pistons, 107-103, behind 27 points and 11 dimes from John Wall.
The highlight of the night came courtesy of Jennings, who duped Garrett Temple with this Rajon Rondo-esque ball fake (via SB Nation's Mike Prada):
For the second game in a row, Andre Drummond managed to score just two points. He's now shooting a combined 1-of-8 from the floor over his last 59 minutes and has totaled a field-goal percentage of 41.7 through eight games.
After dropping their season opener against the Miami Heat, the Wizards (6-2) have won six of their last seven games.
Millsap Toasts Utah in Hawks Win
Paul Millsap put together a brilliant line consisting of 30 points (13-of-23 shooting, 4-of-8 from three), 17 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in the Atlanta Hawks' 100-97 win against his former team.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Wednesday marked the third time in Millsap's career that he tallied at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a single game.
As a team, the Hawks shot 51.3 percent from the field and 45 percent from three as Millsap and Kyle Korver combined to drain eight of Atlanta's nine triples.
Alec Burks and Derrick Favors led the way for Utah, scoring 22 and 20 points, respectively, in the loss.
Quote of the Night
Knicks swingman J.R. Smith had an opportunity to sink Orlando at the buzzer, but his game-winning three-point attempt failed to draw iron:
According to The Washington Post's Michael Lee, ESPN analyst Jalen Rose let Smith know just how dreadful the desperation heave was:
