The Trial Blazers, without Damian Lillard, fell to the Raptors 110-104 on Sunday. As expected, CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic led the way to Portland in Lillard’s absence. The guard center tandem combined for 38 points, most of which occurred in the second quarter of action. For the Raptors, Serge Ibaka led a three-point attack that turned out to be too much for the Blazers in the second half.
Regardless of the loss, the Blazers showed some notable elements. Portland unveiled its two-center lineup consisting of Hassan Whiteside and Nurkic. Outside of the big starting boys, Wenyen Gabriel showed off her hustle in the final quarter of action. On the downside, the officials seemed determined to interrupt the pace of both teams. The Blazers and Raptors combined for 70 free throw attempts (* checks the notes again *… IN A SCRIMMAGE).
CJ and the greats
The Blazers’ rotation featured two major changes on Sunday: McCollum took over as the main guard and the frontcourt featured Nurkic and Whiteside. McCollum’s production seemed familiar, he was aggressive and made most of his passes after knocking down his defender. The former Lehigh standout accelerated the pace early and scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half.
The two-center approach was a mix of both sides of the court. Nurkic performed admirably on defense outside of his comfort zone, but was slightly exposed when faced with Pascal Siakam in one-on-one situations. Offensively, Whiteside settled for face-up shots and had relative early success. As Whiteside’s face-up shots from the inside piled up alongside the plays that put Nurkic in no man’s land, you couldn’t help but wonder if his roles should be swapped on the offensive side.
The biggest surprise in the big two lineup might have been the lack of rebounds. It is clear that teams facing the Portland Twin Towers will attack from the perimeter. The long rebounds combined with the removal of Nurkic and Whiteside from the paint to produce a wealth of second chance opportunities for the Raptors. Toronto finished with 13 offensive boards.
Three point dam
Facing inside-facing defenders for most of the game, the Raptors pledged to take triples almost exclusively. The Blazers remained steadfast for the most part in the first half, but the same old containment issues popped up periodically. If the Raptors promised to abandon successful units, they were rewarded with favorable looks beyond the arc.
Here is an example of OG Anunoby kicking the ball after being hit by Mario Hezonja.
In transition or early in possessions, the Raptors routinely went down the court and entered three-point attempts. The Blazers survived that style of attack initially, but the Raptors warmed up enough to open a double-digit lead in the third quarter.
Toronto finished the game with 17 triples, 10 more than the Blazers.
Swagger nurse
Nurkic produced fireworks in the second quarter after having a brief fight with Serge Ibaka. After the two exchanged dirty looks after Ibaka’s elbow, Nurkic did his best on both sides. He quickly scored on Ibaka on the post, went to the ground for a loose ball, interrupted the Raptors’ offense and put a cherry on top with his only triple of the night.
For the second game in a row, Nurkic showed he looks ready to start running after a year away from competitive action. It’s silly to put too much value on a successful sequence in a scrimmage contest, but your motivated rampage against Ibaka should alert the rest of the league.
Nurkic finished the game with 17 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 27 minutes.
Wenyen will not resign
Wenyen Gabriel did not appear on the court until the last moments of the third quarter and did everything possible to make things interesting in the final stretch. The Blazers erased a double-digit deficit to finish within the Raptors’ six points on the final whistle. Gabriel’s energetic and unforgiving style was at the heart of that late wave of the game. He finished with six points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes.
Carmelo Anthony struggled to find his offensive rhythm. Too often he stopped possessions by holding on to the ball and was unable to produce favorable looks on one-on-one opportunities. Melo hit just four of his 13 field goals for 14 points in 27 minutes.
Gary Trent Jr. couldn’t avoid the fouls against the Raptors, but his defensive intensity continued to stand out. If you present the ball to him, he will do everything possible to hook you.
Until next time
Score box
The Blazers play their last scrimmage contest against the Thunder on Tuesday.
