Blazers Beef
Well, when you go 4-1 it’s tough find things that went wrong, but the Blazers had some struggles defensively and on the defensive boards that keep on hurting them.
They changed some coverages in pick-and-rolls against Dallas, because of the threat of Dirk Nowitzki, but Dallas’ guards were able to get into the paint regularly on their way to 108 points.
Another issue, that even head coach Terry Stotts has mentioned, has been defensive rebounding.”In effect our defense has been pretty solid,” he said. “You look at our defensive effective field goal percentage and our defensive field goal percentage in general it’s top-12 or whatever. What’s holding us back is some of our rebounding and some of the transition points we’re giving up.”
Blazers Bravos
How about beating the team with the best record in the NBA and following it up by beating another title contender?
Portland’s back-to-back wins against the Pacers and Thunder this past week are two of the most impressive wins in the NBA this season.
The Blazers also deserve kudos for their record-setting 3-point shooting. They set a franchise record with 17 made 3s on Friday against Utah and also a record for 3-point percentage by a team when making at least 15 3s, shooting 73.9 percent on 3s.
By the Numbers
1st — After their 4-1 week and the Spurs having a game in Mexico City cancelled, the Blazers are in first place in the West.
4 — Consecutive double-doubles by LaMarcus Aldridge.
5 — Games out of Portland’s next six that are on the road.
Look ahead
Monday at Utah (6 p.m. on CSN): The Blazers whooped the Jazz by 32 points on Friday in a record setting 3-point shooting performance.
Thursday vs. Houston (7:30 p.m. on TNT): The Rockets dominated the Blazers beating them by 15 in Portland on Nov. 5 as Dwight Howard and James Harden shot a combined 22 free-throws.
Saturday at Philadelphia (5 p.m. on CSN): The Sixers have cooled off from their hot 3-0 start but rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams continues to be one of the best rookies to watch.
Sunday at Detroit (3 p.m. on CSN): Center Andre Drummond has been a beast in December averaging 18.3 points and 17.5 rebounds through the first four games of the month.
