Sports Hey PDX December 24, 2024 0 Comments

Blazers Frontcourt Plays Great in Loss to Mavericks

The Portland Trail Blazers gave the Dallas Mavericks an early Christmas present on Monday night, a 132-108 victory for Dallas in which the Blazers didn’t compete past halftime. It was Portland’s second consecutive blowout in Texas, somewhat typical for the season.

Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Deni Avdija led Portland with 19, 6, and 3.

Here are a few of the factors that stood out from the game.

Lane Help Early

The Blazers have been mixed on defense over the last few weeks, but tonight they showed willingness to help each other in the lane, at least in the early parts of the evening. This was just as true when Deandre Ayton manned the middle as it was with the more defensively-apt Donovan Clingan. The center still provided the backstop in Portland’s scheme, but the Blazers threw at least a wing, plus often a guard, into the lane on Dallas penetration. The plurality of bodies helped keep the Mavericks’ attempts hesitant. This made every Portland big look better than advertised on defense. Avdija and Scoot Henderson seemed especially alert.

I’d be lying if I said that spirit lasted through the whole game. The Mavericks ended up with 64 points in the paint. Center Daniel Gafford looked like Joel Embiid, shooting 7-7 from the floor on his way to 23 points, in part because of Portland’s poor center defense. But the first quarter, at least, was a tantalizing glimpse of what this team could be.

Turnovers

The Blazers trailed 62-53 at halftime, not great, but not a disaster. They began turning the ball over in the third period and got blown out 40-23 in that frame. That doomed any faint comeback hope. Portland finished with 19 turnovers for the game.

Scoot Confidence

The Mavericks fielded the best two point guards in the matchup in Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but Scoot Henderson appeared to ignore his relative lack of experience and name, going hard at his counterparts as if he’d never heard of them.

That moxie led Scoot to 7 points in the first period and 14 for the game along with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers. It wasn’t a hall-of-fame outing, but at least there’s a pulse.

Deni Bounces Back

After a rough game against the Spurs on Saturday, Deni Avidka bounced back with 19 points on 6-11 shooting with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Avdija looked comfortable running the offense, mostly because he threatened to call his own number, keeping Dallas defenders honest and on him. When they didn’t watch him carefully, he drove and scored. When they did, he passed well. He also hit his threes, which helped spread the floor. Avdija’s good games make the Blazers’ offense run so much smoother.

Deandre Ayton

Whatever mixed feelings Blazers fans have about Deandre Ayton, sometimes he looks pretty darn good out there. That was true tonight, particularly in the first half. His midrange jump shot was pure, which made him a deadly scoring threat. Defensive talk is negotiable, but middle-of-the-floor scoring sure makes the Blazers’ offense look more potent. Ayton finished with 16 points on 8-11 shooting with 9 rebounds and 2 steals.

Rebounds

Looking for sunny side of things in the midst of a blowout, Portland had 16 offensive rebounds this game. Ayton provided 4. Avdija and Toumani Camara matched him with 4 each. At least something went kind of right? Yay.