In what should have been a showdown of elite big men, Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara were essentially non-factors as Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe did their best to drag the rest of the team across the finish line Sunday night in the Portland Trail Blazers’ first playoff appearance in five years.
Portland fell to the Spurs 111-98, losing each quarter.
Clingan and Camara are Portland’s two best interior defenders, yet they did little to keep the Spurs out of the key and away from the hoop while contributing almost nothing on offense. That can be survived in a random regular-season game, but not in the playoffs. These two have to do more and be better; it’s that simple. And they know it.
Clingan had just seven rebounds and four points on two made shots (out of just seven), looking slow on offense and even slower getting back in transition. It won’t work against a Spurs offense that was racing up and down the court from start to finish, and looked ready to play a double header if needed, while Clingan looked like he needed a long nap at the final horn. Playing against one of the best centers in the league, Clingan has to contribute more.
Camara also shot just 2-7, putting together a stat line of eight points, two rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block. Not bad numbers for an average role player, but this team needs an elite starter effort from Camara if they are going to succeed.
Victor Wembanyama looked great in his playoff debut, scoring 35 points in 33 minutes while hitting five of six from downtown and blocking a couple shots as well. The Spurs shot 45.5% from long range, while Portland was reduced to a lot of clangers off the rim, shooting 26.3% from deep. The Spurs also won the rebound battle 45-38 and shot slightly better overall, going 47.6% from the field versus 42.9% for Portland.
Deni had an incredible playoff debut for Portland, scoring 30 points in 39 minutes to go with 10 rebounds, five assists, and two three pointers on the night. But he will need help from someone if the Blazers are going to have a fighting chance in this battle.
Jrue had only nine points but contributed 11 assists and appeared to be favoring his left knee in the second half after a knee-to-knee foul on Stephon Castle late in the first half. Something was off with Holiday as the game wore on, maybe his knee, maybe not, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Scoot looked great in his playoff debut, scoring 18 points and looking like his nickname, going up and down the court with what appeared to be endless energy. He played 27 minutes, but his energy on both ends of the court might be needed even more as the Spurs play a very quick brand of basketball, and I’m not sure Holiday will be able to play heavy minutes the rest of the series if the Spurs can continue their torrid pace.
Seemingly every time Portland got the score close in the second half, Devin Vassell hit another three-pointer, which won’t happen every night, but it sure seemed like he couldn’t miss when they needed him most. Wemby hit a fading three in the back left corner at one point that just looked insane and devastating all at once. Soon after, Clingan missed one of his three attempts from long range on the night, and it seemed like that was the story of the second half – every time Portland got close, the Spurs found a way to add to their total while Portland took low percentage shots or turned the ball over.
Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter knows how to play fundamentally sound playoff basketball, and you can bet he will spend the time between games one and two working to impress upon his young team how much possessions matter in the postseason. Rest assured, they will watch the film and go over what worked and what they need to avoid the rest of the series.
Portland was down going into the third quarter and went on an 11-0 run to get the game right where they wanted it, only for the Spurs to keep going on mini-run after mini-run. If Portland finally got a stop, then Wemby would perform one of his many alley-oops, or the Blazers would take a missed three, or someone would throw a pass from the Spurs hoop all the way down the court and miss an opportunity. Those are exactly the momentum-building and momentum-destroying plays Splitter will want to show his team – you don’t win the game on one possession, but you can surely lose it by turning the ball over for no reason.
It was a bizarre game, but the biggest takeaway is that Portland was just a few plays from going right there with a monster of an opponent.
Game two is tonight in San Antonio, and it would be huge if Portland could steal a game and force the Spurs to win at least one in Portland, where the Blazers feel much more comfortable. Also, keep in mind that the Spurs did not participate in the play-in tournament, so they were extra rested going into the game and didn’t have to fly anywhere or stay in a hotel. This was also the first look Portland had of Wemby this season, as he missed all three of their regular-season matchups, so the Blazers had nothing to go on about how he would be used against them or how to game-plan. They have a full game of film on him and his usage now and can adjust accordingly.
I would not be surprised at all if Scoot gets to start this game, as his speed will be needed more than it was on Sunday night. Don’t be surprised to see Portland go with a smaller lineup and save Clingan for fewer possessions as they need speed up and down the court, and Robert Williams actually played well with the second unit. What I don’t know is if Splitter will opt to give Scoot the start over Jrue and keep him fresh for more meaningful possessions in the second half.
Sharpe looked good at times Sunday, but he seemed to be forcing a lot of shots to keep focus off of Deni, which is a great thing the team needs to do more of, but he needs to be smarter about his shot selection. He ended the night with a 4 of 13 performance and just 10 points, and missed all four of his shots from long range.
Hopefully, the team gets more cozy with the rims at the Frost Bank Center during shootaround before the game today, and I’m sure a day of rest, along with no travel, will suit them as well. Portland will now be just as rested as the Spurs are playing a second game in 48 hours, so we will find out if the Spurs’ speed and overall efficiency were a result of the delay between games or a showcase of just how good they really are.
If Portland can win tonight, they will head home with a chance to put pressure on the Spurs with a win in game three in Portland on Friday night. If they lose tonight, it will put all the pressure on Portland to avoid a 0-3 hole by the end of the week. Games two and five are usually the most crucial points in a seven-game series (as non-elimination games typically go anyway), so Portland would be wise to make sure they head home locked into a 1-1 tie with the series now best of five rather than going home just trying to avoid a sweep or a very short series.
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