Portland Trail Blazers Look Like Playoff Pretenders and Saturday NBA Takeaways
Winter officially ended Friday, but conditions in the Pacific Northwest have been conducive to cooling lately.
As Western Conference title contenders start to hit their stride, the Portland Trail Blazers (44-24) are encountering a handful of issues that could doom them come playoff time.
First, there are the tactical mishaps, which have been on display during the team's four-game losing streak, which the Blazers extended after a 97-86 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies (49-21) Saturday night.
Not only did Portland's offense struggle to score, but the defense also couldn't clamp down on Memphis from beyond the arc. As a team, the Grizzlies shot 61.1 percent from three, thanks in part to 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting (5-of-7 from three) from Jeff Green. Mike Conley added 21 points and a game-high nine dimes while his positional counterpart, Damian Lillard, tallied 27 points (8-of-18 shooting) and seven assists.
Over the course of their four-game losing streak, the Blazers have held just one opponent (Memphis) under 100 points. That stretch has included run-ins with the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards.
Not exactly a collection of world-beaters.
"You've got to look in the mirror," LaMarcus Aldridge said following Friday's 111-104 loss to the Magic, according to The Oregonian's Joe Freeman. "We've all got to look at things we're doing and see if we can do better."
With Wesley Matthews sidelined for the season with a ruptured Achilles, Portland has had to adjust on the fly. The team quickly flipped trade-deadline acquisition Arron Afflalo into the starting lineup for Matthews—a seemingly perfect fit to fill scoring needs on the wing.
However, the Blazers have been absolutely ravaged by opposing offenses with Afflalo in the starting lineup, as evidenced by the team's suspect defensive effort against the Grizzlies.
When head coach Terry Stotts rolls out the five-man unit consisting of Lillard, Afflalo, Nicolas Batum, Aldridge and Robin Lopez, opponents have exposed Portland.
According to NBA.com, that lineup has surrendered a whopping 114.6 points per 100 possessions in 181 minutes together. By comparison, the Minnesota Timberwolves occupy the efficiency cellar with a defensive rating of 108.5, per NBA.com.
However small the sample is, that sort of ineptitude is worth stressing over—especially when it's contrasted with the team's defensive rating with Matthews on the floor, as supplied by Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver:
An offensive rating of 105.6 helps smooth over some of those personnel-related deficiencies, but it can't hide the fact that Portland's operating at a net differential of minus-nine points per 100 possessions when that group takes the floor.
Then there are the recurring injury troubles, which cropped up again Saturday evening, according to Freeman:
According to Trail Blazers PR, Aldridge's hand ailment doesn't appear to be too serious, but the four-time All-Star provided a different spin, per ESPN.com's Michael Wallace:
Aldridge said following the loss, according to Wallace:
"When it rains it pours, you know. It's been a nightmare. I've been here nine years and I've seen things like this happen through the course of my years here in Portland. It's part of the sport. [It's] a bad time for us, because it is a time when you want to be peaking and playing your best basketball.
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Simply put, Portland's still trying to work a new piece into the fold, and roadblocks aren't welcome with playoff positioning on the line—particularly with the Los Angeles Clippers heating up in tandem with Portland's slide.
Even though they were idle on Saturday, Los Angeles moved into a fourth-place tie with the Blazers by virtue of Portland's loss. The Clippers will have a chance to move into sole possession of that coveted spot when they host the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday afternoon.
However, the scheduling overlords weren't as kind to the Blazers. Portland will return home Tuesday evening for a tilt with the Golden State Warriors before heading back out for a two-game road trip against the rising Phoenix Suns and frisky Utah Jazz.
Around the Association
Brooklyn's Bounding Toward a Playoff Spot
With the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets all idle, the Indiana Pacers had a chance to make up some crucial ground at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Except they didn't, because the Brooklyn Nets scored 63 first-half points and tallied a 35-24 fourth-quarter advantage to emerge victorious, 123-111.
Somehow, someway, the Nets still have a pulse after dropping five straight during the first two weeks of March. Thanks, Eastern Conference. Following the win, they sit a game back of the eighth-seeded Celtics and a half-game behind the ninth-seeded Pacers, who have hit a rough patch following seven straight wins, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Keeping with the theme of improbability, Brooklyn managed to put forth a staggering offensive display one night after downing the Milwaukee Bucks, 129-127, in double overtime.
As a team, the Nets shot 61.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from three as Brook Lopez led the way with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Bojan Bogdanovic was stellar off the bench, dropping 21 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting while grabbing five boards in 29 minutes.
Chicago Implodes Down the Stretch
A 56-44 halftime lead had the Chicago Bulls in complete control of their Central Division battle with the Detroit Pistons.
And then the second half happened.
Over the final 24 minutes, the Pistons outscored the Bulls, 53-35. The Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson provided some particulars:
As has been the case seemingly every night this season, Pau Gasol finished with a double-double comprised of 27 points (10-of-16 shooting) and 10 rebounds. Despite Gasol's dominance, the Pistons outscored Chicago, 50-36, in the paint.
Reggie Jackson remained red-hot, totaling 22 points and 11 dimes to notch a fourth double-double in his last five appearances.
Bledsoe, Phoenix Won't Back Down
That two-horse race for the West's eighth and final playoff spot? It's about to become a three-horse race deserving of a photo finish.
Behind a career-high 34 points (11-of-18 shooting, 10-of-11 from the free-throw line) from Eric Bledsoe, the Phoenix Suns defeated the Houston Rockets, 117-102. As a result, the Suns sit a half-game back of the New Orleans Pelicans and 2.5 back of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Although the Suns offense hasn't been able to muster a point per possession this month, its defense is holding opponents to 98 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. That's a five-point improvement from the team's overall mark.
After his 50-point outburst against the Denver Nuggets, James Harden struggled mightily to score against the Suns' improving defense. In 33 minutes, Harden scored 16 points on 5-of-19 shooting, including 1-of-8 from three.
According to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen, Memphis gained a bit more control in its quest for Southwest Division dominance after the Rockets' loss:
Winning Is All the Warriors Know
It was a day ending in "y," so the Golden State Warriors did what they do best—won. In a 106-91 defeat of the Utah Jazz, Golden State captured its league-leading 56th win, and Stephen Curry added to his silly 2015 highlight reel with a layup that he attempted mid-nosedive, as tweeted by CBS Sports' James Herbert:
In 32 minutes, Curry compiled 24 points, three assists and three steals. You know, just another day at the office. Andrew Bogut was also superb, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and five assists, while limiting Rudy Gobert to five points and nine boards.
With the victory, Golden State captured a 3-1 season-series win over the Jazz, who topped the Warriors, 110-100, in their last meeting on Jan. 30.
Since the team temporarily placed Klay Thompson on the shelf with an ankle sprain, the Warriors are 3-0 with victories over the Pelicans, Jazz and Atlanta Hawks.
